Mississippi Missing Children

A missing child in Mississippi is reported to the city police or the county sheriff, and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, part of the Department of Public Safety, coordinates the case, issues AMBER Alerts and keeps the state's missing persons file. With the case in the FBI's database and permission from a parent, guardian or the police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children can put the child on its national posters. There is no waiting period, and federal law requires the child to be entered into the FBI's national database within two hours.

Mississippi issues a second tier of alert, the Endangered or Missing Child Alert, for children whose cases do not meet the AMBER standard, and the Bureau uses it often, so most publicized child cases in the state are advisories rather than full AMBER Alerts.

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

• Mississippi Missing Child SearchOnline Search
• Mississippi Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• Mississippi Bureau of Investigation Criminal Information Center
• Hurricane Katrina and Rita Missing Children ListList of Katrina and Rita Missing Children
• Mississippi Social Services Missing ChildrenMissing Children Assistance
• National Center for Missing and Exploited ChildrenNational Center for Missing Children
• Mississippi Amber Alert Plan
• What To Do If Your Child Is MissingMissing Children Assistance
• Child Identification Information
• Missing Kids in MississippiMississippi Missing Kids

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation activates an AMBER Alert at the request of the investigating agency when a child under 18 has been abducted, is believed to be in danger of serious harm or death, and there is enough information about the child, the abductor or a vehicle to help the public. The alert reaches radio and television through the Emergency Alert System, phones through the wireless emergency alert system, and the Mississippi Department of Transportation highway signs, and it is shared with Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas when a vehicle may be crossing. Cases that fall short of the standard get the Endangered or Missing Child Alert, which goes to media and online without the phone alert.

• Mississippi Department of Public SafetyAMBER Alert and Endangered or Missing Child Alert activations by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, 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 Mississippi Bureau of Investigation keeps the state's missing persons file, posts active alerts online, coordinates with the National Center and NamUs, and sends its own agents to help local agencies with abductions and long term cases. The first call goes to the city police or the county sheriff. In Mississippi, ask for the case number, make sure the child has been entered into the National Crime Information Center, and then call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST. Jackson, Gulfport and Hattiesburg police have their own juvenile investigators.

• Mississippi Police DepartmentsCity police departments that take missing child reports
• Mississippi County Sheriff DirectorySheriff offices for all 82 counties
• Mississippi Most WantedFugitives and outstanding warrants

Mississippi's Silver Alert covers missing seniors and adults with cognitive impairment, and its Blue Alert covers suspects who have injured or killed a law enforcement officer, both issued by the Bureau of Investigation. Records of the case stay with the agency that took the report. The Mississippi Public Records Act makes the incident report public but allows investigative files to be withheld while a case is active, and youth court records are confidential. NamUs, the national database of missing and unidentified persons, takes long term cases from agencies that choose to enter them, reviews each entry, and shows the public the cases the agency approves for publication.

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

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