Missing Persons

About Us:

The Colorado Missing Person(s) Unit assists local law enforcement and other partner organizations in locating and recovering missing children and adults. The unit manages the Missing Person Alert Program in Colorado and functions as the Clearinghouse for the state of Colorado.

In 1985, Statute 24-33.5-415.1 added responsibilities to the Bureau regarding missing children. The Bureau now serves as a central repository for information on missing children and adults. The Bureau collects, compiles and disseminates information to assist in finding missing persons. The Bureau is responsible for obtaining dental records of persons who have been missing for thirty or more days, compare new student records with reports of missing children, and review each missing person report submitted and canceled by every law enforcement agency in Colorado.

On April 1, 2002 the Governor signed HB 02-1083: adding the Colorado AMBER Alert Plan to the responsibilities of this unit. Click here for more information on Colorado Alerts.

The Unit is responsible for the coordination of these plans:

Communication: By utilizing the systems of the Colorado Crime Information Center (CCIC) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the Unit maintains communication with national and state missing person reporting systems, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and other State Clearinghouses.
Investigative Leads: The Unit receives and follows up on leads in regards to missing and unidentified persons who may be victims of a kidnapping, abduction, runaway or lost. The Unit forwards this information to the Law Enforcement Agency who entered the missing person.
Posters and Bulletins: The Unit receives pictures and creates and distributes posters regarding missing children to be disseminated to law enforcement agencies, school districts, state and federal agencies, and the general public.
Assistance: is provided to Colorado and out of state law enforcement agencies and organizations. Criminal history and background checks on missing persons and those associated with the missing person may be conducted to assist in the investigation.
Liaison and referrals: for families of missing persons.
Training: is available for local law enforcement and other public agency personnel, including schools and children organizations.
Literature: pertaining to missing children and the Missing Child Unit Services is available.
Statistics: are maintained on a yearly basis and added to the online Annual Report.
Support: is available for families of missing persons through our relationship with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation Victim Advocate Program.

If you have a missing loved one, please contact your local law enforcement agency to file an initial missing persons report. Local law enforcement must be notified before the CBI Missing Persons Unit can become involved.

Click here to find out how to report someone as missing