Bring them home: National Missing Children's Day
It's the moment all parents fear. Not knowing where your child is or if he or she is safe.May is National Missing Children's Day, a month to bring awareness to the hundreds of thousands of reports of missing children made yearly.
It's the moment all parents fear. Not knowing where your child is or if he or she is safe.
May is National Missing Children's Month, bringing awareness to the hundreds of thousands of reports of missing children made yearly.
In 2015, according to the FBI, there were 460,699 entries made by The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Currently, there are more than 275 children missing in the state of Texas. Each of those children has a story. Each of those cases has a family or loved ones searching for answers.
INTERACTIVE MAP: The red pin represents a missing child in Texas. Click on the pin to learn more details about the case and child.
RESOURCES:
- Search for Missing Children
- If Your Child is Missing: CHECKLIST OF ACTION TO TAKE
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: 1-800-843-5678
- Children Safety & Prevention
- Donate to National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
There are hundreds of cases across Texas. Here are just a few stories of children who vanished in North Texas:
COLD CASES
JOYCE CREOLA BREWER
Missing Since Sept. 6, 1970 / Grand Prairie
It's been more than 45 years since Joyce Brewer was seen. Fifteen at the time, Brewer left her home in Grand Prairie after a fight with her parents. She was never heard from again. Decades later, the search for Brewer continues.
NORMAN LAMAR PRATER
Missing Since Jan. 14, 1973 / Dallas
According to The Charley Project, which dedicates its site to bring awareness to cold cases, Norman Lamar Prater vanished at about midnight on January 14, 1973. His mother told authorities he left their Dallas home to got to an all-night coffee shop with two teenage friends. He promised his mother he would return early enough to help her move the next day. He never returned.
EMMANUEL KALIEF BIRTS
Missing Since Sept. 14, 1989 / Dallas
According to the Charley Project, the mother of Emmanuel Kalief Birts told authorities a woman posing as a social worker named Debra Manning took the baby after stopping by the family's home two times. The first time she stopped at the Dallas home was more than a week after Emmanuel was born. The woman said she was checking up on the baby's welfare on behalf of Parkland Memorial Hospital, where the child was born.
Family members said she returned a month later. This time she said she needed to take Emmanuel to the hospital for an HIV test. While the mother said she attempted to go with the woman, she told authorities the woman insisted she shouldn't. The woman picked up the baby the next day and never returned.
Read full report on charleyproject.org.
MORE MISSING IN NORTH TEXAS
MONICA DOLORES
Missing Since March 28, 2012 / Plano
Monica Dolores was last seen as she left her Plano home at 8 a.m. at the age of 16. Now 19, authorities say she may have left on her own accord. However, there has been no sign of her for more than four years.
Missing Since Feb. 28, 2008 / Plano
Family members say Eitan Blasingame's father, Michael, abducted the young boy before he even turned two from their Plano home.
Michael Blasingame married Diana Huynh six years after they met in Dallas. For a brief period, the couple lived together in Madagascar. However, family members say Diana convinced Michael to allow her to travel back to North Texas when Eitan became ill.
While the husband came back to the United States two months later, Diana said she wanted to file for divorce. The couple shared custody. However, as the divorce loomed, family members say Michael grew agitated.
Family members say on March 18, 2008, Eitan was to be returned home from a visit with his father. However, Michael never showed. Michael is now wanted by authorities and the search for the young boy, who is now 9, continues.
#ROCKONESOCK
Take part in the #RockOneSock Challenge to raise awareness for missing kids by wearing one sock on May 25, National Missing Children’s Day. Snap a photo of your sock using the hashtags #RockOneSock and #BringThemHome on social media. Visit Rock One Sock's website for more information.