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Original poster

Do you share 'missing people' posts on social media?

66 replies

eenymeenyminyme · 22/01/2020 11:23

I tend to share ones for children or vulnerable people who have gone missing from the local area or if it's someone I have a connection to but I just get a nagging feeling that a grown adult may be escaping from something and not want to be found, so I don't share those.

What do you think?

OP posts:
JazzTheDog · 22/01/2020 13:35

I only share the ones of people I know, thankfully a social media campaign (also shared by the police) found one of my mum's vulnerable friends this week.

RandomUser3049 · 22/01/2020 13:37

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

ioioitsoff · 22/01/2020 13:51

I make a point of never sharing any post that contains the words “please share”.

I'm the same with 'only x people will share this' and 'I know who will' rubbish

And pp, yes, I do remember that American chap now, wasn't he dumped to avoid caring for him with his dementia ? SadAngry

lyralalala · 22/01/2020 14:29

I only share if the post originates from the police. A friend of mine has been tracked down by her violent ex after he posted a "Worried about my sister, no-one has seen her" type general post three times so far. He's never turned up yet, but has used each one to show her how easily he could if he decided too.

GloGirl · 22/01/2020 14:34

Absolutely I do.

On here a number of times I remember particularly.

2 people I know and loved were missing before they were found having committed suicide.

I can remember the despair and desperation and the feeling like something was happening. Seeing those share numbers go up felt like action at a time I felt hopeless.

I will only share from a police source, or with a police incident report and ideally only what's relevant. Eg person believed to have links to X and Y and I am in Y. Or half of my family live in there.

Also do the pet ones as I have a habit of finding lost pets and then try and find them on social media to return or update!

If you can help, do.

ToastandCheese · 22/01/2020 14:37

No, because so many times they were found about 2 years ago. But the person sharing doesn’t read that.

cjt110 · 22/01/2020 15:07

Only if it is someone I know, or someone who I know knows.

I hadn't ever thought of this but someone once said/I read don't share missing posts because it could be someone who is estranged, for good reasons (eg children taken into care, someone who has fled DV) trying to locate them under the guise of them being missing.

RandomUser3049 · 22/01/2020 15:46

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

TwoZeroTwoZero · 22/01/2020 16:03

The only time I have ever shared a missing person post was when my friend's cousin, who was in a very bad place mental health wise, went missing. I shared the police's post about her. Luckily she was found, alive, and is now getting support.

I never share any others because I don't know the person in question and don't feel it'd be of any help. I certainly don't share those that aren't from the police because it's impossible to tell whether they're genuine or not.

BingoLittlesUncle · 22/01/2020 16:22

No. Why should I?

aibutohavethisusername · 22/01/2020 17:55

I share the local police one and also a friend of mine’s son who is the same age as DD was missing and in a bad way with his mental health so I shared that one.

Indella · 22/01/2020 18:02

No I never share unless it’s from the police.

Years ago an friend of mine was in hiding from her abusive ex. He posted photos of her teen daughter all over social media saying she was ‘missing’ and had ran away and it was shared widely. It led to him finding out what school she went to and he then followed her home to find the address of his ex. who then had the upheaval of moving all over again. I wish people would think of the consequences before sharing non-official things.

Blackbear19 · 22/01/2020 18:06

I always check the link, before I decide to share or not.
Sharing stuff that's old and no longer relevant is at best a waste of time and at worse a bit "the boy cried wolf". The more "help find..." posts people see the more they ignore. Which in turn means when someone really does need help to be found people think "oh it's just another ancient help find post" move on and ignore.

PortiaCastis · 22/01/2020 18:06

No I wouldn't share as there are people who do not want to found or do not want their info plastered over fb.
If there's a police appeal I may consider sharing

CreekIsRising · 22/01/2020 18:07

Absolutely not. I have no way of knowing the intent of the person who created the post. I do tend to assume that if someone is not being assisted by the police in their search there is good reason for this police decision.

GloGirl · 22/01/2020 18:08

But please do share the official links. The police wouldn't ask if they thought it wouldn't help

ElderAve · 22/01/2020 18:09

I share if I know them or the family and the story but not otherwise.

Even with the children and teenagers they're often not missing in the sense that no-one knows where they are, they're just not where the family, or part of the family think they should be and who's to say who's right.

ElderAve · 22/01/2020 18:11

Actually, I might even stop doing that. I recently shared on of a man in his 50s who I know to chat to but don't really know his history. His family were desperate, his car was missing, he hadn't got his wallet etc. He turned up a couple of days later safe and well. I don't know the story, but it can't help him to have had it all over the internet.

Redglitter · 22/01/2020 18:12

I'm in Glasgow. No point in me sharing posts about someone who has gone missing in Cornwall

If only everyone applied that logic. I have a fb friend who I've unfollowed because she. Constantly posts missing people posts. Even more irritating is the missing dog posts. She lives in Glasgow and is forever sharing posts of dogs last seen in places like York or somewhere hundreds of miles away. Totally pointless.

2020BetterBeBetter · 22/01/2020 18:13

I’ve shared two. One was about a man who had disappeared. It wasn’t an official police poster request but it was genuine because I went to school with him and I read an article in the paper about trying to find him. Even though I didn’t live nearby at the time, I had a number of friends on my social media who would have either known him and/or lived in the relevant area. He was found safely but sadly disappeared again not long afterwards and had committed suicide.

The other one I shared was about a local man who had dementia and had been able to walk out of a care home. It was an official notice and there was no escaping the number of helicopters and the search parties. Happily he was found safely.

ioioitsoff · 22/01/2020 18:14

@handsoff it's fairly common I think, there's an article about it on the bbc website today Sad

Blackbear19 · 22/01/2020 20:22

OP what made you ask the question?

Yes those who've answered have said No but clearly lots of people do share and don't check the source of the info.

VenusClapTrap · 22/01/2020 20:32

I shared one once because I knew the family. But I don’t normally.

Original poster
eenymeenyminyme · 22/01/2020 20:50

OP what made you ask the question?

Lots of people have shared a post about a chap who's gone missing locally. There's now a police notice too but the fact that he's in his 30s and doesn't appear vulnerable makes me wonder what his story is and I just felt odd about whether I should share it so thought I'd ask the MN hive mind...

OP posts:
ColourMyDreams · 22/01/2020 20:57

I do if it's from a police source or if it's a local vunerable elderly person.