Today, May 25, is National Missing Day and the FBI wants to remind everyone there isn’t any information it can’t use in a missing child case. Investigators say sometimes after years have gone by people will remember something that solves the case.

There are dozens of missing kids like Karla (Karlita) Carolina Rodriguez. She had just turned 7 when she disappeared on October 20, 1999, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Karla was missing from school that day and was last seen in the evening by a friend in her neighborhood. Unfortunately, she has never returned home.

Karla is one of the missing children the FBI is working to bring home.
Every year on National Missing Children’s Day, the FBI reaffirms the commitment to investigating these cases and finding children who have been reported kidnapped or missing.

FBI Agents continue to encourage parents, caregivers, and others to make child safety a priority.

“We as law enforcement never forget these children and never stop looking for them until we find out what happened to them and bring those responsible for doing any harm to them to justice,” said Todd Tumbleson, a criminal investigator at the Nevada Attorney General’s Office and an FBI Task Force officer on the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force who has been investigating Karla’s case. “They and their families deserve nothing less than this.”

Here is the FBI’s Kidnappings and Missing Persons list. Please take a moment to review the list—and if you recognize anyone or have any information in a case, contact the FBI or local law enforcement or submit a tip online. No detail is too small.

“The public often knows something they think is not important but which we in law enforcement find very important,” said Tumbleson. “Sometimes when people hear about the case, it brings back memories of things a suspect said or things the witness saw that might help to locate a child. Any information the public has should be shared with those investigating the case.”

National Missing Children’s Day is also a reminder about preparedness should the unthinkable ever happen to your child. Remember that the FBI has jurisdiction to immediately investigate any reported mysterious disappearance or kidnapping involving a child. Do not wait to report a missing child. 

You can download the FBI’s Child ID app, which allows you to quickly share key information with authorities if your child is missing.
The free app also includes tips on keeping children safe and guidance on what to do during the first crucial hours after a child goes missing. (The FBI does not collect or store the information or photos you enter into the app. The data resides on your mobile device unless you choose to send it to authorities in an emergency.)