I was looking at NYC’s long term missing persons webpage ( http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/nypd/html/missing/long-term-cases.html ) and there is one case there of a boy (he must be about five, based on the photo) who’s been missing since Sep 6,1936. Do they really believe that anyone will find this kid?
I know that they closed Joe Crater’s case in 1979 (he had been missing since 1930). If they couldn’t find Crater in 49 years (and he would have known who he was if he wanted to be found), what are the odds that they’re gonna find this kid (who, because of his age, may not remember his real name) after 64 years?
I have two questions:
How long is a case kept open before it’s closed? On the webpage, there are no other cases of similar age. The next oldest case listed is 1972.
I’m pretty sure that this kid isn’t the only missing person from that time period who still hasn’t turned up. Why would his case still be open, but not someone else’s from that time period?
Perhaps the family of the child that went missing in 1936 refuses to allow the case to be closed. I don’t think the state goes and declares people dead unilaterally if there is no evidence that the person is indeed dead.
The missing child from 1936 would be about the same age as my father now. However, it’s not him.
The state doesn’t bring an action to declare a missing person dead. That is done by an individual or individuals. Most states have laws that provide for presumption of death after 5 or 7 years. But who is going to say some one is dead w/o a death ctf? Some one who is adversely affected by not doing so, such as a widow who wants to remarry, etc. I guess, in a rare case, if a state wants its inheritance taxes, it could also bring a suit, but usually a state doesn’t.
Quebec civil law provides for declaring a missing person dead after seven years of disappearance upon application by any interested party. The laws dealing with missing persons (or “absentees”) are summed up in Book 1, Title 3, Chapter 3 of the Quebec Civil Code, available here: http://www.lexum.umontreal.ca/ccq/en/l1/t3/c3/index.html