Nine years after Pearl Pinson went missing, her father's grief remains profound. Pearl's case is one among many, as 163 individuals were reported missing daily in the U.S. and 19 in California last year. However, a positive trend shows that nationally, missing person reports have declined by 21% from 2014-2024, particularly concerning minors, with California seeing a 28% drop in missing children reports. This reduced trend may be partially attributed to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and improvements in technology to assist in locating missing individuals.
Last year, an average of 163 people a day were reported missing across the United States, 19 a day in California and three a day in the Bay Area.
At the national level, reports of kids under age 18 going missing declined 24%, while those involving adults rose 6%. In California, missing children reports have fallen 28%.
Nationally, the rate of missing person reports per 100,000 people has fallen 21% from 2014 to 2024, an encouraging trend for the future.
Some of the downward trend since 2017 had to do with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and activity restrictions that continued for the next couple of years.
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