Missouri Laws 43.401 – Reports, information to be included, entry of data into computer systems — ..
1. The reporting of missing persons by law enforcement agencies, private citizens, and the responsibilities of the patrol in maintaining accurate records of missing persons are as follows:
(1) A person may file a complaint of a missing person with a law enforcement agency having jurisdiction. The complaint shall include, but need not be limited to, the following information:
Terms Used In Missouri Laws 43.401
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of the statutes, mean the section next preceding or next following that in which the reference is made, unless some other section is expressly designated in the reference. See Missouri Laws 1.020
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Guardian: if used in a section in a context relating to property rights or obligations, means conservator of the estate as defined in chapter 475. See Missouri Laws 1.020
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- MULES: Missouri uniform law enforcement system, a statewide-computerized communications system provided by the patrol designed to provide services, information, and capabilities to the law enforcement and criminal justice community in the state of Missouri. See Missouri Laws 43.010
- Patrol: the Missouri state highway patrol. See Missouri Laws 43.010
- person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Missouri Laws 1.020
(a) The name of the complainant;
(b) The name, address, and phone number of the guardian, if any, of the missing person;
(c) The relationship of the complainant to the missing person;
(d) The name, age, address, and all identifying characteristics of the missing person;
(e) The length of time the person has been missing; and
(f) All other information deemed relevant by either the complainant or the law enforcement agency;
(2) A report of the complaint of a missing person shall be immediately entered into the Missouri uniform law enforcement system (MULES) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system by the law enforcement agency receiving the complaint, and disseminated to other law enforcement agencies who may come in contact with or be involved in the investigation or location of a missing person;
(3) A law enforcement agency with which a complaint of a missing child has been filed shall prepare, as soon as practicable, a standard missing child report. The missing child report shall be maintained as a record by the reporting law enforcement agency during the course of an active investigation;
(4) Upon the location of a missing person, or the determination by the law enforcement agency of jurisdiction that the person is no longer missing, the law enforcement agency which reported the missing person shall immediately remove the record of the missing person from the MULES and NCIC files.
2. No law enforcement agency shall prevent an immediate active investigation on the basis of an agency rule which specifies an automatic time limitation for a missing person investigation.
3. Any agency or placement provider, parent, or guardian with the care and custody of a child who is missing shall file a missing child complaint with the appropriate law enforcement agency within two hours of determining the child to be missing. The law enforcement agency shall immediately submit information as to the missing child to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) including, but not limited to, the name, date of birth, sex, race, height, weight, and eye and hair color of the child; a recent photograph of the child; and the date and location of the last known contact with the child. The law enforcement agency shall institute a proper investigation and search for the missing child and maintain contact with the agency or placement provider making the missing child complaint. The missing child’s entry shall not be removed from any database or system until the child is found or the case is closed.