What is Missing person?
A '''missing person''' is a person who has disappeared and nobody seems to know where they are. People can go missing for many reasons. == Reasons == People disappear for many reasons. These are some reasons why someone may go missing by choice: * Running away from home, often to escape from [[domestic abuse]]. * [[Mental disorder|Mental illness]] or other ailments. For example, a person with [[Alzheimer's Disease]] may wander out on their own, forgetting where they live, who their friends and family are, or even their own names. * Hiding from the [[police]] or courts (known as [[failure to appear]]). * [[Suicide]] in a location where they cannot be easily found. * Joining a [[cult]] or other religious organization that stops them from talking to people in the outside world. * To escape [[poverty]], famine or natural disaster. * To avoid [[war]] or persecution during a [[genocide]]. There are also reasons why someone may go missing without wanting to: * Staying too long with a parent or guardian that they do not normally live with. **[[Kidnapping]] * Death by [[natural causes]] or an accident in a place where they cannot easily be found, such as in water. * Getting sold into [[slavery]]. * [[Murder]], if the body is not found. * In some countries, governments have carried out secret murders (known as [[forced disappearance]]s). Normally it is the [[police]] who search for a missing person. If someone goes missing at sea, they may instead call on the [[coast guard]] or a similar agency. Most missing person cases that are reported to the police are simple cases, where the person is found quickly. In 1999, 800,000 children went missing in the United States, but only 115 cases were kidnapped by a stranger who wanted to keep them for a long period of time.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sedlack|first1=Andrea J.|title=National Estimates of Missing Children: An Overview|journal=NISMART Series Bulletin|date=2002|pages=7, 10|url=http://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=ccrc|access-date=9 November 2