“Missing, Missing” refers to people who are lost but never officially reported as missing—and therefore are not listed in any national database like the FBI’s NCIC (National Crime Information Center) or NamUs (the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System). These individuals are essentially invisible to the systems designed to find and protect them.
People may become “missing, missing” for a number of reasons, such as:
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They are estranged from family or friends, so no one files a report
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Law enforcement declines to take a report due to age, circumstances, or other limitations
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They are undocumented immigrants, with no official record of their identity or disappearance
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They are infants or children born to an unreported missing parent (such as a homeless teen or woman living off the grid)
NamUs is a voluntary national database that helps connect the dots in missing and unidentified cases—but it depends on participation by law enforcement and families. The “missing, missing” are those who fall through every crack.
To better understand the complex outcomes that can lead someone to disappear without a trace, explore our “Lost Highway” graphic on the home page. It illustrates how people vanish—and why so many are never found.
