About WSP's About Missing Persons Services

There are two distinct groups within WSP that assist with Missing Persons:

Missing and Exploited Children Task Force (MECTF)

The only one of it's kind in the United States, MECTF was formed to assist law enforcement agencies, state agencies, and the proper custodial entity by conducting investigations related to crimes against children cases through referrals, on-site assistance, case management, and training. The primary objectives for MECTF are the safe recovery and return of children, providing assistance to requesting law enforcement and state agencies, and providing a resource in investigative expertise.

The Missing Persons Unit (formerly Missing Children Clearinghouse) was legislatively mandated pursuant to RCW Title 13 in October of 1985. They are to assist law enforcement agencies and parents in locating missing and exploited children. Maintain and operate a toll-free, twenty-four-hour telephone hotline. MPU coordinates investigative resources with state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies to facilitate the recovery of each child. They create and electronically distribute posters of missing juveniles via the LOCATER System. The Clearinghouse provides training on issues surrounding missing and exploited children, maintains a database on all Washington State missing juvenile reports entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), and tracks the statistics for trend analysis and Legislative resource allocation.

Missing Children Photo Page
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

If your child is missing, please contact the law enforcement agency of jurisdiction at the place of disappearance and file a missing person report. Local law enforcement must be notified before MCC can become involved.

If you have reported a missing child and need assistance in locating the child, contact MPU at 1-800-543-5678. You also need to file a report with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.