National Missing Children’s Day shines light on unsolved cases, families still searching for answers

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As millions of Americans observed Memorial Day on Monday to honor those who died serving the country, some families and advocacy groups were also remembering a different group of Americans — missing children as part of National Missing Children’s Day.

January marked the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of Ebonee Spears, who vanished after she was last seen at the front desk of the Wilmington Police Department. Spears was 30 years old when she disappeared.

Monica Caison, founder of the Wilmington-based CUE Center for Missing Persons, said missing children and teenagers make up a significant portion of missing persons cases nationwide.

“Nationwide, there’s over 600,000 reports that come in annual of missing persons and a large portion of them are youth,” Caison said. “You know, you have your endangered that could be abducted or lost or you got your family abduction. And then you have your teen runaways, which sometimes don’t end up in a happy ending either.”

For families whose loved ones disappeared as children, organizations continue using technology to keep cases in the public eye. Angeline Hartmann, communications director for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said the organization uses artists and computer technology to create age-progressed images showing what missing children may look like years later.

“We know that age progress images do work,” Hartmann said. “They can help an investigation showing what a child might look like today. As time passes, these images can be key to recognizing a missing child.”

That technology was used in the cases of Christopher and Lisa Mae Zaharias, siblings who disappeared more than 40 years ago.

Their father, Louis Zaharias, said Monday can be emotionally difficult for families of missing children.

“Cause it’s a reminder of what they don’t have in their life,” Zaharias said. “But at the same time, it’s a positive for us because on that day, we know that the National Center and all these other missing children’s groups and law enforcement are really focused on missing children.”

Caison said continued public awareness remains one of the most important tools families have while searching for missing loved ones.

“We encourage our families to basically keep campaigning,” Caison said. “You know, that’s what a missing person or child is. It’s a campaign. You are on a awareness campaign. I hate to say it’s close to marketing, but it is. You have to put their picture on any and everything.”

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, more than 700 missing children cases were reported in North Carolina last year.