Missing Children, NCMEC, AMBER Alert, State Clearinghouse

Washington Missing Children

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Washington missing children: how the State Patrol issues AMBER Alerts, Endangered Missing Person Advisories and Missing Indigenous Person Alerts, the Missing Children Clearinghouse and where records go.

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Washington Missing Children at a Glance

In Washington a missing child is reported to the city police or the county sheriff, and the Washington State Patrol coordinates the case, issues AMBER Alerts and keeps the Missing Children Clearinghouse in its Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit. National publicity comes from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which posts the case with the family's or the agency's permission once it is in the FBI's database in Washington. There is no waiting period, and Washington law requires the child to be entered into the FBI's national database at once.

Washington created a Missing Indigenous Person Alert in 2022, ahead of most other states, and it runs an Endangered Missing Person Advisory for children and adults whose cases do not meet the AMBER standard.

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

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How AMBER Alerts work in Washington

The Washington State Patrol 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 Washington State Ferries, and it is shared with Oregon, Idaho and the British Columbia border crossings. Cases that fall short of the abduction standard get the Endangered Missing Person Advisory, which goes to media and online without the phone alert.

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Washington missing children clearinghouse and how to report

The Washington State Patrol Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit keeps the Missing Children Clearinghouse and the statewide file of missing adults and unidentified remains, posts case listings with photos, coordinates with the National Center and NamUs, and helps local agencies with long term cases. In Washington, the city police or the county sheriff, whichever covers the place the child was last seen, is the first stop. The same holds in Washington: ask for the case number and for confirmation that the child is in the National Crime Information Center, and then contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane police have their own missing persons units, and the King County sheriff covers much of the Seattle suburbs.

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Other Washington alerts and where the records go

The Missing Indigenous Person Alert covers a missing Native person of any age when the circumstances suggest danger, the Silver Alert covers seniors with cognitive impairment, and the Blue Alert covers suspects who have injured or killed a law enforcement officer. Case records stay with the investigating agency, and on reservations they may sit with the tribe or the FBI in Washington. Under the Washington Public Records Act, basic incident facts are public while investigative records can be withheld while a case is open, and juvenile records are confidential. Washington is no different: 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.

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Federal & National Authoritative Sources

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

Straight answers

Washington Missing Children, questions

What is a Missing Indigenous Person Alert in Washington?

A statewide alert created in 2022, one of the first of its kind in the country, for a missing Native person of any age when the circumstances suggest danger. It is issued by the Washington State Patrol.

Who issues AMBER Alerts in Washington?

The Washington State Patrol, at the request of the investigating agency, when a child under 18 has been abducted and is in danger and there is enough information to broadcast.

What is an Endangered Missing Person Advisory in Washington?

A statewide notice issued by the State Patrol for a missing child or adult whose case does not meet the AMBER Alert abduction standard. Across Washington, it goes to media and online without the phone alert.