One of the most visceral concerns for anyone in the public eye is the threat to their person in the form of a kidnapping or an abduction with the intent of extortion. While those rare-but-serious events can and do take place, missing person cases encompass a much wider variety of troubling absences.
By definition, a missing person is anyone whose whereabouts are unclear: someone who has disappeared and, as a result, their status, location, and fate are currently unknown. This includes not just victims of high-profile kidnappings but also children who have been abducted (whether by a family member or a stranger), runaways, and adults (often elderly) who are missing and at risk due to mental health, age, or other compromising factors.
Initial request for a missing persons investigation
The majority of Pinkerton’s missing person cases come from our existing clients — typically a client that works internationally. In one recent instance, we assisted a corporate client with a high-level employee whose family member with some serious health risks went missing. A Pinkerton detective was assigned to the case, and the missing individual was found within days.
In some cases, perhaps more than you might think, a missing person actually wants to be missing and is involved in their own disappearance.
Critical questions to begin the investigation
Because it is essential to determine the type of disappearance, the process of finding a missing person begins by asking a number of critical questions. The answers to those questions will inform the detective’s approach to the case as well as dictate the nature of their tactical and strategic response. Basic questions include:
- Where was the individual last seen?
- What are the precise circumstances of their disappearance?
- Are they dealing with any challenging or concerning situations at work or in their personal life?
- Are custody issues a consideration, and if so, is there any reason to believe in possible involvement from a former spouse, stepparent, or other relative?
Another critical question to ask is whether law enforcement agencies have been notified and to what extent they are involved. When a person goes missing, local, state, federal, and international law enforcement bring an enhanced level of resources and visibility, however, most law enforcement agencies have very specific, and typically inflexible, standards as to what constitutes a missing person. Those standards may depend on the age of the individual, the circumstances of their disappearance, the amount of time they have been missing, as well as other factors. Some U.S. law enforcement agencies classify any missing person with an outstanding warrant as a fugitive rather than a missing person).
Best practices to prevent abductions
One of the most common security blind spots when it comes to missing persons and potential abductions is downplaying risk, especially when an incident seems unlikely. The best outcome is to prevent someone from going missing in the first place. That begins with understanding some of the big risk factors for abduction and disappearance: age, international work or travel, job and relationship status, personal circumstances, and high visibility or public profile (especially anyone involved in a controversial cause or polarizing organization).
The most experienced security providers understand and apply accepted best practices for delivering robust security programs for high-profile individuals that includes, but is not limited to, well-trained personnel, home and office security systems, armored vehicles, tactical planning, mail screening, private travel, and background checks for employees, just to name a few. Program may also provide security for immediate and/or extended family members to prevent extortion.
A great deal of security work takes place behind the scenes, coordinating with a security company who has the resources to conduct in-depth, on-the-ground risk assessments to analyze an individual’s threats and vulnerabilities. Even if you have an existing in-house security team, coordinating with an outside expert is the best way to help evaluate potential risks and determine the best way to mitigate those risks. An important and invaluable tool for all security experts is one that can provide data on crime types and concentrations across several counties, such as the Pinkerton Crime Index, our AI and frontier data science platform.
It should be noted that law enforcement personnel can offer some assistance when it comes to planning and prevention, however, they are rarely, if ever, capable of creating meaningful risk profiles and preparing customized risk mitigation plans accordingly. They have an entirely different set of responsibilities.
Best practices for travel to high-risk locations
Best practices are also not just about what you do but what you don’t do: avoiding unnecessary travel to high-risk locations, which can increase the risk for kidnapping as well as hostage-taking, theft, and serious injury.
Parts of Latin America, South America, Africa, and the Middle East have long presented an elevated threat when it comes to abductions and personal security, but based on changing economic conditions, government stability, and other factors, the conditions on the ground can vary dramatically from region to region. For example, while travel to Mexico is generally considered safe, there are states in Mexico for which the U.S. State Department has issued Level 4 or Do Not Travel Advisories. Surprisingly, Ireland is currently one of the countries with a higher-than-usual abduction threat, where it is estimated that one person is reported missing every hour of every day in Ireland.
If travel is necessary, take appropriate precautions ahead of time such as advanced location scouting, checking crime scores, tactical planning, and investing in executive protection. (Learn more travel safety tips for executive protection in our blog.)
Duty of care and complications
The question begs to be asked, “What do executive decision makers and security professionals need to consider when it comes duty of care for executives and personal protection?” While any missing person deserves equal consideration, there are unquestionable complications that come into play depending on the individual and whether or not they are at an elevated risk because of their job status or placement. If the CEO of a Fortune 500 company is kidnapped, for example, the stakes are high. Beyond the immediate concerns of personal safety, how to mitigate the risk of security breaches, exposure of sensitive or proprietary corporate information, and impact on stock prices must be considered. Every missing person case is different, and each has its own array of security issues that must be addressed accordingly.
