Delaware Missing Children

A missing child in Delaware is reported to the local police in Wilmington, Dover or Newark, to the New Castle County Police or to the Delaware State Police, which runs the state's missing persons clearinghouse and its AMBER Alert plan. Delaware's alerts are coordinated with Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey because a vehicle can leave the state in minutes from anywhere in it.

Delaware has no waiting period to report a missing child, and federal law requires the national database entry within two hours.

Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.

• Delaware Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• Delaware Missing Children ClearinghouseDelaware Clearinghouse
• National Center for Missing and Exploited ChildrenCurrent Amber Alerts
• Delaware Amber Alert SystemDelaware Amber Alert Plan
• What To Do If Your Child Is MissingMissing Children Assistance
• Report a Sighting of a Missing ChildReport Missing Children
• Child Abduction Prevention
• Resources for Parents and GuardiansSafety Information

Delaware's AMBER Alert is activated by the Delaware State Police at the request of the investigating agency when a child under 18 has been abducted, is in danger of serious harm or death, and there is enough information about the child, the suspect or a vehicle to broadcast. The State Police send the alert to broadcasters, the wireless emergency alert system, Department of Transportation highway signs and social media, and notify the neighboring states' state police at the same time.

• Delaware State Police AMBER AlertDelaware's AMBER Alert plan and State Police missing persons, checked September 25, 2026
• National Center for Missing and Exploited ChildrenNational case posters, the CyberTipline and the 1-800-THE-LOST hotline, checked September 25, 2026
• AMBER Alert national programFederal AMBER Alert coordination, checked September 25, 2026

The Delaware State Police Missing Persons clearinghouse maintains the statewide list of missing children and adults, coordinates with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on child cases and with NamUs, and the Delaware Information and Analysis Center distributes alerts. Make the report to the local or county police or the State Police troop and write down the case number. Confirm the entry into the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System and the National Crime Information Center, then call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which can assign a case manager and produce posters.

• Delaware Police DepartmentsCity, county and state police that take missing child reports
• Delaware County Sheriff DirectorySheriff offices for New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties
• Delaware Most WantedFugitives and outstanding warrants

Delaware's Gold Alert covers missing seniors, adults with disabilities and suicidal persons, and its Green Alert, created in 2019, covers missing veterans at risk, both issued through the State Police. In Delaware, Blue Alerts cover suspects who have harmed an officer. Case files stay with the investigating agency and can be withheld while the investigation is active under the Delaware Freedom of Information Act, while the missing person listing is public. In Delaware, for a case that stays open, the investigating agency can enter it in NamUs, the national missing persons database, where entries are reviewed and published with the agency's approval and can then be searched by anyone.

• NamUsNational database of missing and unidentified persons, checked September 25, 2026
• Delaware Criminal RecordsCriminal history and court records in Delaware

These federal and national sources complement Delaware's state-level records. They are the authoritative sources you should cross-check when Delaware state records are incomplete or out-of-state activity matters.

NCMEC, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Congressionally authorized national clearinghouse for missing children. NCMEC operates the 24-hour hotline 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) and the CyberTipline for exploitation reports.

AMBER Alert, U.S. Department of Justice The federally coordinated AMBER Alert network. Each state operates its own plan under DOJ AMBER Alert Program guidance.

NISMART, National Incidence Study OJJDP's periodic survey of missing-child incidence in the United States, the authoritative federal statistical source.