HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — We've seen the reports of missing people in North Alabama. It's a family's worst nightmare. What should they do? Who should they call? FOX54 reached out to local law enforcement and has some answers.
Madison County Sheriff's Public Information Officer Brent Patterson explained that once an individual is confirmed missing, "We will receive a call through our 911 dispatch center and we will generate a missing persons report." Soon after that report is made, it's assigned to a detective who will use every available means that he has to find information out on this person.
Patterson said ALEA helps distribute the information through the NCIC. "National Crime Information Center, that's in Montgomery, and that is a that is a law enforcement database that we utilize. And it's a really good way to get information to different places at different times."
Athens Police Department Detective Lieutenant Jonathan Caldwell shared that a common misconception is that you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing. "You know, waiting 24 hours, especially if it's a missing person with dementia or something like that, they can travel a lot of distance in 24 hours and it can make it even harder for us to find them." Another key thing to keep in mind is staying where you last saw the missing individual. "If they left the residence, you know, you need someone to stay at that house the entire time. Yes, some people do need to be out there looking. But, we need someone to stay there the entire time because there's several times that they do come back. And if they come back and nobody's there, then they might leave."
Most importantly, Patterson leaves one final message. "If you know something, say something. That's my favorite term."