Set for this Saturday at Madonna University in Livonia is the 8th annual Missing in Michigan gathering. It’s held by Michigan State Police each year to highlight missing persons cases that remain unsolved. Jolene Hardesty with the MSP Missing Persons Unit tells WSJM News the program is partly for families.
“For the families of loved ones, it’s a day to come together, regroup, and have some support among each other,” Hardesty said.
There is also a public session from 1 to 5 p.m. where parents can have their kids fingerprinted. Hardesty tells us many of the roughly 4,300 people missing in Michigan at any given time are runaways.
“We pay attention to our runaways, we pay attention to those who are habitually runaways, and try to follow up on those cases as best as we can” Hardesty said.
New this year is the availability of fingerprinting and photographing for enrollment in the state’s new Vulnerable or Impaired Persons program. Child ID kits will also be provided free-of-charge and community organizations that help with missing person cases will be onsite to provide information on child safety.
