FBI Seal Federal Bureau of Investigation Links to FBI home page, site map and Frequently asked questions
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Home Site Map FAQs Skip to Main Content

Contact Us

Bullet Your Local FBI Office
Bullet Overseas Offices
Bullet Submit a Crime Tip
Bullet Report Internet Crime
Bullet More Contacts
Learn About Us
Bullet Quick Facts
Bullet What We Investigate
Bullet Natl. Security Branch
Bullet Information Technology
Bullet Fingerprints & Training
Bullet Laboratory Services
Bullet Reports & Publications
Bullet History
Bullet More About Us
Get Our News
Bullet Press Room
Bullet E-mail Updates Red Envelope
Bullet News Feeds XML Icon
Be Crime Smart
Bullet Wanted by the FBI
Bullet More Protections
Use Our Resources
Bullet For Law Enforcement
Bullet For Communities
Bullet For Researchers
Bullet More Services 
Visit Our Kids' Page
Apply for a Job
 

Press Release

For Immediate Release
May 30, 2008

Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691

FBI National Crime Information Center Issues Missing Person and Unidentified Person Statistics for 2007

Today Assistant Director Thomas E. Bush, III, FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division, released the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) missing person and unidentified person statistics for 2007. These statistics are derived from NCIC's Missing Person File, implemented in 1975 and NCIC's Unidentified Person File, implemented in 1983.

Highlights from the report include:

  • As of December 31, 2007, there were 105,229 active missing person records in NCIC. Juveniles under the age of 18 accounted for 54,648 (51.93 percent) of the records, and 12,362 (11.75 percent) were for juveniles between the ages of 18 and 20.
  • During 2007, 814,967 missing person records were entered into NCIC, a decrease of 2.53 percent from the 836,131 records entered in 2006.
  • Missing person records cleared or canceled during 2007 totaled 820,212.
  • In 2007, there were 518 records entered as Abducted by a Stranger; 299,787 entered as Runaway; and 2,919 entered as Abducted by Non-Custodial Parent. This only accounts for 303,224 entries of the 418,967 entered, or 72.4 percent, which is an increase from 297,632 entries of the 836,131 entered, or 35.6 percent, in 2006. However, as the Missing Person Circumstances field is optional and is thus not an accurate reflection of the actual circumstances of all the entries.
  • As of December 31, 2007, there were 6,945 unidentified person records in NCIC. Of the 6,945 active entries, 1,788 (25.75 percent) were entered in 2007. This is up 26.54 percent from the 1,413 entries made in 2006.
  • Unidentified person records entered in 2007 consisted of 1,448 (83.22 percent) deceased unidentified bodies, 23 (1.29 percent) unidentified catastrophe victims, and 317 (17.73 percent) living persons who could not ascertain their identity.
  • There were 1,051 unidentified person records canceled or cleared by the entering agency for reasons such as the remains being identified or the record being invalid. This was an 11.31 percent decrease from the 1,185 records canceled in 2006.

The FBI's National Crime Information Center is a nationwide information system dedicated to serving and supporting criminal justice agencies-local, state, and federal-in their mission to uphold the law and protect the public. The entire report is available on the FBI's website. Visit www.fbi.gov for more information on the FBI and to sign up for e-mail alerts.