Hawaii Missing Children

Hawaii's missing child system is run by the Hawaii Missing Child Center, part of the Department of the Attorney General, which serves as the state clearinghouse, posts missing children online and works with the four county police departments, the only police in the state. The Maile AMBER Alert, named after Maile Gilbert, a six year old abducted and murdered on Oahu in 1985, is issued by the county police through the Center with the state's broadcasters.

Hawaii 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.

• Hawaii Missing Person SearchOnline Search
• Hawaii Center for Missing and Exploited ChildrenMissing Children in Hawaii
• Hawaii Missing Children Center
• Maile Amber AlertHawaii Amber Alert Plan
• What To Do If Your Child Is MissingMissing Children Assistance
• Safety Tips for Parents and GuardiansSafety Information
• Report a Sighting of a Missing Child in HawaiiReport Missing Children
• Code AdamRetail Business Procedures
• Missing Kids in HawaiiHawaii Missing Kids
• Keiki Identification KitChild Identification Information
• Poster Program

The Maile AMBER Alert is activated by the county police department, the Honolulu, Maui, Hawaii or Kauai police, through the Hawaii Missing Child Center 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 alert goes to broadcasters through the Hawaii Association of Broadcasters, the wireless emergency alert system, highway signs and social media, and because the islands are closed systems the airports and harbors are notified when the child may be moved between islands or off shore.

• Hawaii Missing Child CenterThe Maile AMBER Alert and the state clearinghouse, 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 Hawaii Missing Child Center maintains the statewide list of missing children with photos, coordinates with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on its cases and with NamUs on long term cases, and runs prevention programs in the schools. Start with the county police department for the island and get the case number, then check that the child is in the National Crime Information Center, which every police agency in the country can see, and make the next call to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Honolulu Police Department's Missing Persons detail handles most cases because Oahu holds most of the population.

• Hawaii Police DepartmentsThe four county police departments that take missing child reports
• Hawaii County Sheriff DirectoryState sheriff division and county law enforcement contacts
• Hawaii Most WantedWanted persons and outstanding warrants

Hawaii issues Silver Alerts for missing seniors and adults with cognitive impairment through the county police and broadcasters, and the state's Missing and Murdered Native Hawaiian Women and Girls Task Force, created in 2021, reviews cases involving Native Hawaiian victims. Case files stay with the county police and can be withheld while the investigation is active under the Uniform Information Practices Act, while the Missing Child Center listing is public. A case that stays open can be added to NamUs, the national missing and unidentified persons database, when the investigating agency enters it, and the public can search the entries the agency chooses to publish.

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

These federal and national sources complement Hawaii's state-level records. They are the authoritative sources you should cross-check when Hawaii 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.