Tennessee Missing Children

A missing child in Tennessee is reported to the city police or the county sheriff, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation coordinates the case, issues AMBER Alerts and keeps the state's missing children clearinghouse. 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 in Tennessee. There is no waiting period, and Tennessee law requires the child to be entered into the FBI's national database at once.

The TBI issues two tiers of child alert. The AMBER Alert covers abductions, and the Endangered Child Alert covers children whose disappearance is dangerous but does not meet the abduction standard, and the Bureau uses the second tier often.

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

• NCMEC missing child searchNational search of missing child posters
• Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Missing Children
• Tennessee Missing Children Over 18
• Tennessee Clearinghouse for Missing ChildrenMissing Children and Adults Clearinghouse
• Tennessee Amber Alert
• What To Do If Your Child Is MissingInformation for Parents
• Tennessee Internet Crimes Against Children Task ForceInternet Safety
• NCMEC map of long term missing and unidentified childrenNational map; zoom in to Tennessee

Tennessee county sheriffs

The Tennessee 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, the Department of Transportation highway signs, and the state lottery terminals, and it is shared with the eight bordering states. The Endangered Child Alert goes to media and online without the phone alert.

• Tennessee Bureau of InvestigationAMBER Alert and Endangered Child Alert activations and the missing children clearinghouse

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation missing children clearinghouse keeps the statewide file of missing children and adults, posts active alerts and case listings with photos, coordinates with the National Center and NamUs, and TBI agents help local agencies with abductions and long term cases. The first call goes to the city police or the county sheriff in Tennessee. 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. Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga police have their own missing persons units.

• Tennessee Police DepartmentsCity police departments that take missing child reports
• Tennessee County Sheriff DirectorySheriff offices for all 95 counties
• Tennessee Most WantedFugitives and outstanding warrants

Tennessee's Silver Alert covers missing seniors and adults with dementia or disabilities, and the TBI issues Blue Alerts for suspects who have injured or killed a law enforcement officer. The file itself stays with the investigating agency in Tennessee. Under the Tennessee Public Records Act, the incident report is public while investigative files can be withheld while a case is open, and juvenile court records are sealed. 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
• Tennessee Criminal RecordsCriminal history and court records in Tennessee

• National Center for Missing & Exploited ChildrenMissing child posters, reports and the CyberTipline
• AMBER Alert, U.S. Department of JusticeHow AMBER Alerts work and who issues them
• NISMART, national studies of missing childrenDepartment of Justice research on missing children