As someone tries to figure them out, some missing person cases make the skin crawl and jumble the brain.
Hundreds, even thousands of children and adults disappear with no trace every year. As shown by World Population Review, the United States had 80,940 missing-person cases in 2025, nearly a third of which were unsolved. Fortunately, around 70 percent of all missing persons are found, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Some of the most common reasons people go missing are troubled home life, abuse, mental disabilities, murder, trafficking, and kidnapping (including parental kidnapping, which is when parents kidnap their own children from the other parent). According to the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre (NMPCC) of Australia, additional reasons include “mental illness, miscommunication, domestic violence, and being a victim of crime.” Though these aren’t the only reasons people disappear, they appear in most cases.
Mental illness plays a large role in missing person cases: suicidal ideation, attempted and successful suicide, depression, anxiety, and more complex disorders, such as schizophrenia. Due to these, the brain can go into a state of psychosis. According to the Cleveland Clinic, some “people with delusions of control believe someone is controlling their thoughts or actions remotely.” The brain twists itself into delusions, which can influence actions, such as leaving home and disappearing.
When surveyed, Thunderbird students demonstrated knowledge of missing-person cases, with 63 percent saying they were aware of at least one. Charlotte Keffer, freshman, shared a story about a 3-year-old girl who went missing in 2007; her name was Madeleine McCann, and she has not been found.
Jackson Sparks, sophomore, said, “Amy Bradley was reported missing on a cruise ship, and has apparently been sighted but not found,” after watching a documentary on her case. “Sighted but not found” means that someone reported seeing the missing person at a specific place and time, but the tip’s truthfulness could not be confirmed during a follow-up investigation.
According to the FBI Most Wanted, currently, 131 cases of kidnappings and missing persons are reported. The most wanted 2026 cases are: Nancy Guthrie, the Choc Family, Sabrina Elaine Heinz, and Ronald Plainfeather. Guthrie went missing on Jan. 30, and her case went viral on social media apps TikTok and Instagram. The entire Choc Family went missing the same day. Heinz went missing on Jan. 28, and Plainfeather went missing on April 19; all cases remain unsolved.
Missing people have been around as long as people have existed. Regardless of how they go, they’re around somewhere. To report a missing person, visit any local police station, the city website, or visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
