Unreported Missing Persons

I thoroughly enjoyed your article and found that you've touched on some critical points within it. There are many unreported runaways and for a number of reasons. Myself for instance, I left home at age 16, and a so-called "good" home at that. My parents knew I had runaway, although it was the first time for me, but were "embarrassed" to report me as such. I lived life on the lamb as it were for several months and effectively never returned home. Weeks passed before they bothered to report me as a runaway and only did this as I had been involved with stealing a sum of cash prior to leaving. The resaons for my departure were bcause of the abuse I suffered in the home at the hands of a relative. Still, all of these circumstances were overlooked and the focus seemed to be more on finding me so they could recover some of the money! While I eventually returned when I was of age and settled down, got an education etc, I still found that years later I was still going off on frequent trips without notice to anyone, "running away" perhaps or "wandering" as I called it. I do not suffer from any mental illness that I'm aware of, unless you want to count the psychological effects of being in close proximity to my family. lol
I ended penning a book entitled "Where Do the Children Go? A Runaway's Story" about my experiences earlier this year in an effort to confront my past and the circumstances that cause me to "go off" on my own.
Again, I very much enjoyed your article and thank you for your involvement with the "missing."

My Girls father left the state in Jan 09 and went to CA by his brother looking for work and while there he got hung up chasing women on the internet and travling around the country after them. He left his brothers May 5th 09 and has not been seen or heard from sence his family is glad to be rid of him and wont file a missing person report. I know he has not taken his antidepresents for at least 1yr and am afraid that he is manic. My kids miss him very much he has always been a good dad! but since 10-09 about when he stoped taking his meds he stoped paying support also. I don't want pepole to think this is just about the $ I am afraid of his mental state and chasing women on the net and for the women that could be his next victem of domestic violence. Is there something that I or his kids age 9 and 8 can do?