how many missing people do you know of in real life?

[notnowmarmaduke]

Just wondered - we are always saying how common it is, but how many of us know many missing people? Of course you might be closely associated with a missing person and not know it, as people don't necessarily talk about it, or might just not know themselves.

I have only known two people reported as missing, long term. one friends father, who was the classic went out for a pint of milk and was never seen again. ( 30+ years now). One runaway teen never found (15+ years)

Apart from that I have known a few runaway teens who were found, and two people reported as missing who I know went into witness protection

Also, have you ever been reported missing?

One person who went missing twice. He left for a few years and was found by the Salvation Army in London, went back home. His df became very ill and he couldn’t handle it and disappeared again. Found in London again and working for a different branch of the company he originally worked for. Now living in London in a flat and retired. He’s under his brother’s radar in his 70’s now.

One. Case was featured on Unsolved Mysteries. Likely murdered, but never found. :(

I went to school with someone who disappeared when they were working abroad at 19, that was over 20 years ago now and he has never been found.

Another was a neighbour but his boat was found washed up so he is presumed to have drown, I think he has been declared dead at this point even though they never found a body.

My dad. He was abroad for work, transiting between two postings (merchant navy) and had stopped off somewhere for a few days, and disappeared from his hotel - they realised when he didn't check out. His passport, wallet and wedding ring were in the hotel room. No clues ever found as to what had happened to him, but from the papers I have it looks like the police believed he'd likely gone swimming in the sea and drowned. It's 40 years ago this year.

Two. For over twenty five years now.

I don't believe either are dead, just hiding from their old lives.

One, a family member, probably murderer not solved or found.

I'm so sorry Orinoco 💐

None ever and I am 60 this year

When I was a teenager a friend was officially missing I guess for a week before her body was found. It was... I think we knew so in some ways it being confirmed and being able to grieve was, like, not better than not knowing but... it is hard when you just don't know

Never met him but Dh’s uncle, 40+ years ago now I guess. Not entirely surprising due to his job and his proximity to criminals and his family.
Went to work and was never seen again, left his wife and twin baby sons.

Other than that I don’t know anyone who has gone missing and I’ve never been declared missing.
Does make you wonder really how many people there are at the bottom of the sea

None, thankfully.

I don’t think I personally know anyone. There is a woman who has been missing in my town for quite a few years though and her mother has kept the case high profile by putting up huge posters and banners around the town. She was in her 30s and had a child I believe. Sadly I think it is most likely she is no longer alive but I do hope her mother eventually finds out what happened.

I knew the family of a local lad who went missing whilst in the Himalayas, a good 20 or more years ago now. Body never officially found but presumed dead - his poor mother passed away without ever knowing for sure.

One. Wife of a professional acquaintance. Fairly sure she has been killed either by him or by someone paid by him.

I knew a man who went missing and was very sadly found having committed suicide. Quite a complex guy, although he didn't give much away. I got the impression few truly knew him although he was well liked.

On a lighter note, I myself was reported to missing to the police once by my rather dramatic landlady. I kept long hours juggling uni and two jobs plus clubbing and going out, she often slept all day so didn't notice me coming and going that day, just that I hadn't been there during the times when she was up. I think they were quite familiar with her calling the station about one thing and another.

None

Well I work with vulnerable teenagers who go missing, so I have known many, but none that were never found, thankfully

Yes, both male, one my age and the other a friends dad.

Both were found dead sometime after going missing, having committed suicide.

A friend's brother went missing whilst scuba diving in the sea on holiday; it's assumed he drowned but his body has never been recovered.

A close relative's girlfriend went missing years ago and her body was found weeks later. Bastard who did it (not my relative) is still in prison.

My ex was a missing person twice. It was really traumatic, not sure I’ve ever really recovered from it. He was thankfully located and received the treatment he so desperately needed but refused to ask for prior to going missing.

My father went missing over 30 years ago. But we knew he definitely had two families, so perhaps he went to live with another? My mother came to Britain to try to track him down, I followed - not to find him, but for a better life. I haven’t thought about it for a long time. His first family were distraught, but I think his shenanigans were less of a surprise to us so we took it in our stride more. He was unreliable and always rather distant.

At uni my roommate went to Germany for revision before finals and never got on her plane home. I often wonder what happened to her. We weren’t particularly friendly - it was an allocated student accommodation and tbh we tried to avoid each other as much as poss. Her family seemed very strict about things, so I hope she escaped to a more carefree life.

I used to work as a home carer, and looked after a lovely elderly lady (in her 90s) whose elderly son (in his 70s) still lived at home with her. He had mild learning difficulties, and liked riding on trains. One day, he just got on a train and never came home. They traced him so far but then he just seemed to disappear off grid. Was very sad, the poor elderly lady never recovered from the worry and died shortly after. He's never been found.

I suspect we are from the same area. Very tragic case if so

A lad in my year at school went missing when we were 14 and has never been found. Weirdly it was never high profile. It’s never on any of the tv programmes. At a school reunion about 10 years ago someone said that if it wasn’t for the fact other people from school and town remember it we’d all think we’d imagined it.

Someone else said the silence around it suggests the police know what happened but can’t prove anything.

Someone from my school year went missing over 30 years ago now. Her case is still unsolved and crops up in the news every now and then.