Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the members of For the Lost? What is their goal?

The members of For the Lost vary in mission, but all want to see their cases home. Each member has one or more "cases" that they take on to add theory and conjecture to. The member alone fields any tips and information that comes with the case. Each member's e-mail address can be found on the case file page.

What about the cases not on the case file pages? Are they being investigated?

Yes and no. The cases in the Adam Haseeb Memorial Pages, the California Kids pages, and Jahi's Pages are posted to make the public more aware of these cases. Law enforcement contacts are listed, and it is recommended that one contact them with information about the case. In cases on Jahi's Pages, we understand that sometimes law enforcement is not interested in the case any more. Thus we occasionally will take tips on those cases.

In your archived updates several of the case file links do not lead to a page. Why?

For reasons of site history, and to keep a complete public record of all the updates made to cases on the site, cases that have led to recoveries are still left on the pages. If a link does not work and the person is not on the located pages, please write the site owner to inform them of this.

I remember seeing a case on your site that is no longer there. What happened?

One of three things. If a person over 18, or a member of their family, wishes to remove a case from the site we will comply. To go along with this wish, any links to the case on the site are removed, the case is not listed as resolved and its removal is not put on the update page. In exceedingly rare circumstances, a child is listed as missing or a family abduction when a person without rights to the child reports them missing. Such cases are promptly pulled. Also, if a custodial parent asks a case to be removed from the resolved section, it will be pulled. In the California Kids and Jahi's Pages sections of the site, cases are only included if they meet the criteria. If a case on the California kids pages is placed on a major missing persons' site, or a case on Jahi's Pages is opened, then they are removed.

What constitutes a "recovery"? How is a case removed from the site and why?

A recovery means different things for different cases. For most cases, it means the person has been located and law enforcement knows their whereabouts. For family abduction cases, it means the left-behind parent must know the precise whereabouts to the child and have at least supervised access to the child or children involved. If the child is a legal adult, the second rule is not applied. If there is a foreign country involved, the US custody order must have been changed or the Hague treaty honored. Family abduction cases will not be removed by any request of the non-custodial parent, and any such person writing should be warned that all communications will be forwarded to law enforcement.

What constitiutes a "closed" case?

A closed case for a child constitutes removal from NCIC. (If the child was never entered but the case is still being investigated it is not closed.) For an adult, it must have been stopped being investigated by law enforcement for other reasons than time factors.

If there is more than one date given as the date a person vanished, which one do you use?

Usually the earliest date that can be found that the person was reported missing is used. Since many unidentified individuals have later been revealed to be missing people not reported until after the body was found, it is best to err on the side of too early. If the person was reported missing at an earlier point but was later sighted or confirmed to be elsewhere, the earlier date will still be used.

Why is there a five year minimum time in a runaway disappearance before For the Lost will take on the case in the case files, and two years minimum time for a runaway to have a California Kids poster?

For the case files, this is for the reason most runaway children have initially left of their own accord. After five years, however, something else is most likely involved and thus the case takes on an additional dimension. For the California Kids pages, a addional time factor is used due to the sheer volume of runaway cases.

Will you add my family abduction case to your case files?

All family abductions are now placed on the Adam Haseeb Memorial Pages. We will gladly place a case there. However, the initial case files do not take these cases anymore. If the case is closed but does not meet our definition of "recovered" we will place the case on Jahi's Pages.

Why are some children posted on the site in the legal custody of another parent?

The site goes by what is currently the American custody order. Even if custody is issued in another country, it is not considered valid by us due to Hague Treaty issues. Until the American order switches or the child is returned, they will stay up.

Some of the cases on the Adam Haseeb Memorial Pages have been closed. Why are they not on Jahi's Pages instead?

Once a case is put up on the Adam Haseeb Memorial Pages, for simplicity they will stay there until they meet our definition of "recovered."

What order are cases posted in?

Cases are usually posted in no particular order. However, on the Adam Haseeb Memorial Pages, there is a general pattern followed, shown on the case criteria page.

I am the custodial parent. Will you mention me on your page for my child(ren)?

We consider it a priority to mention who the custodian of the child is. Thus, we are glad to post who exactly has custody and under what circumstances the abduction occured (spontaneous, supervised visitation, unsupervised visitation, orginally the primary custodian but moved to deny the other parent visitation).

Several of the Adam Haseeb Memorial Pages case files have "caution advised" listed. What merits this warning?

If a parent has a history of violence or violent behavior, this is placed. People who have abducted and are wanted for violent crimes also have this label. The violence must be mentioned in a missing persons' site, and be not simply related to temper. While it is not advised to approach any parental abductor, this label serves to add additional warning on dangerous cases.

Why do you place theory on the site?

There are several reasons for this. One, this site is meant to spark ideas in people about someone's disappearance, and the theories help with this. They also give the investigating person something to work with. It will be stressed these are theories; none are offered as the "true" account of what happened to the person(s) involved.

I'm a member of a person in a case file's family. Can I send additional information for the site?

Any family contributions are welcome. E-mail the person responsible for the case file and information will be put up as soon as possible.

Can I take on a case?

You may take on any case that meets our criteria here. Please note you are required to provide some sort of theory.

How many cases can I take on?

No more than ten.

My runaway case was closed because the child turned 18. Will you add them to Jahi's Pages?

The case in this situation will be accepted on a case-by-case basis, thus no answer can be provided here.

I have noticed on the California Kids pages the case summary is usually very short and does not give all information about the case. Why?

For space reasons, the cases are kept as short as possible so they can be printed on a single page. A multi-page poster is only used if there are two or more people missing in the case.

I am listed on the Adam Haseeb Memorial pages or Jahi's Pages as a family abduction, but I do not think of myself as missing and am over 18. Will you remove the case?

We will remove a case in this situation, but only if a now adult child, and not their non-custodial parent, makes the request. However, we strongly recommend that the person contact the left-behind parent. If there is a missing persons report still active, it must be closed. This can be done by contacting law enforcement and verifying your identity.

I see a certain hair and eye color on your site for a missing person, but on another site they have different ones listed. Why?

Most of the time we go by the statistics on NCMEC, but occasionally a family member writes with different ones, or the ones listed there are incorrect.

Can I write an essay for the site?

Any essay related to missing persons issues can be submitted to the site. Like with links, they will be screened for content.

While all cases listed on the Adam Haseeb Memorial Pages are listed as abductions, what happens if it turns out the individuals have been victims of a homicide and no abduction occured?

This is exceedingly unlikely, but there have been cases where this has occured. Paul and Sarah Skiba are examples of such. If this evidence is uncovered but no remains have been found, the case will be pulled with a note on the updates page. If remains are found, the case will be resolved with the appropriate information.


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