The national organization works to bring missing children home and address long-term cases

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHP) — — According to the Child Crime Prevention and Safety Center, approximately 840,000 children go missing each year in the United States. While most cases are discovered within hours, some cases span days, months or even years.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) gives CBS21 News a closer look at how their organization tackles these challenging cases.

“We are a tool, we are a resource, and our job is not done until all the children are home,” said John Bischoff, vice president of NCMEC’s Missing Children Division.

According to the FBI, a child is reported missing or abducted every 40 seconds in the United States, totaling 2,300 cases per day.

“One of the things we can rely on a lot is not to give up hope as these cases last from days to weeks to months and unfortunately sometimes even years. We are an organization based on hope,” said Bischoff.

Recent data shows that NCMEC has handled over 1,200 missing child cases in Pennsylvania, some dating back to 1975.

“As a case spans months or even years, we have different review cycles. Does a 10-year-old case require daily contact with law enforcement? No, but strategies are being used and things are being worked on almost every day,” Bischoff said.

Despite varying workloads and resources, Bischoff said no missing child case is forgotten. “We enable law enforcement agencies to carry out long-term case reviews. If they wish, we are happy to bring experts to our site and also bring them to us to sit in a room for a few days and look at the case from day one to today,” he said.

The process in a long-missing child case includes tools such as traditional poster distribution, public records, family DNA collections and age histories.

Forensic artists also play a large role in creating images of children who disappeared years ago. “If the child disappeared at the age of five and he is now ten years old, we take photos of the mother at the age of ten and the father at the age of ten. Take those characteristics, integrate them into a composite picture, and work to get that into the media,” Bischoff said.

As for kidnapping tactics, Bischoff said they are evolving with a growing trend of online enticement. “The child may have left the house on his own two feet, but he may have gone to meet someone under false pretenses,” Bischoff said.

NCMEC is observing this trend among children ages 12 to 18 and recognizes it as a major problem that parents should be on the lookout for.

“Every parent's first intuition is, 'I have to protect my child.' You're right, but it starts with educating yourself. We have tools, resources, and talking points on our website that will help you have these conversations. said Bischoff.

Bischoff also encourages the community to be aware of missing person posters, saying multiple times it is often the community that helps bring these children home.