Gone Without a Trace: Why So Many People Go Missing — and What We Can Do About It

On a cool March afternoon, my Facebook page lit up with a message I’ll never forget: DeShawn Wilson — my friend’s 22-year-old son — was missing.

He’d last been seen in Norfolk’s Ocean View area, leaving from Pleasant and E. Ocean View Avenue on March 15th, 2025. One moment he was heading out, the next… nothing. No calls, no messages, no trace.

When someone you know disappears, the world stops moving the same way. There’s this haunting quiet between hope and heartbreak — a kind of silence that changes everything. For his family, that silence has stretched across months. Every sunrise brings another day of waiting, another day of not knowing.

But DeShawn’s story isn’t an isolated tragedy. It’s a thread in a much larger tapestry — one that stretches across cities, countries, and continents. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people vanish, and behind every one of those names is a family living in limbo.

The Scale of the Unseen

The numbers are staggering. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reports a 70 percent increase in registered missing persons over the past five years. Conflict, migration, disasters, and systemic neglect have all contributed to this rise.

In the United States alone, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) tracks over 600,000 people reported missing each year, and while many are eventually found, tens of thousands remain unaccounted for. Globally, the real number is impossible to know — not because it’s small, but because many disappearances go unreported or are never entered into databases.

Behind the statistics are real human stories — like DeShawn’s — that rarely make headlines.

Why Do So Many People Go Missing?

There’s no single answer. People disappear for countless reasons, often shaped by circumstance, vulnerability, or crisis.

1. Voluntary Disappearances

Some walk away from abusive relationships, crushing debt, or mental-health struggles. They aren’t “running away” — they’re seeking safety or escape from pain.

2. Accidents and Disasters

In natural disasters, accidents, or war zones, people can vanish without a trace. Their names might never reach a database, and their families may never know what happened.

3. Crime and Human Trafficking

Tragically, many disappearances are tied to crime, trafficking, or exploitation. The United Nations estimates that millions are trafficked globally each year, often vanishing from public view entirely.

4. Systemic Failures

Many nations lack the systems, resources, or political will to properly track and investigate missing persons. Without coordination, cases slip through the cracks.

The Families Left Behind

For every missing person, there’s a circle of people left behind — living what psychologists call “ambiguous loss.” It’s a grief without closure, a wound that never fully heals because the question “what happened?” remains unanswered.

Families describe it as “living in two worlds at once” — holding hope and despair in the same breath. They keep the missing person’s room untouched, the phone line open, the heart half-broken and half-hopeful.

I’ve watched DeShawn’s family show a kind of courage I can barely comprehend — showing up at community searches, posting flyers, talking to police, keeping his face visible. They live with that delicate balance of hope and exhaustion every single day.

What We Can Do

The crisis of missing persons isn’t just a problem for families; it’s a reflection of how societies value human connection and responsibility. Here’s what we can all do — as individuals, neighbors, and global citizens.

1. Speak Their Names

Awareness is power. Share missing-person posts from reliable sources. Keep their stories alive, not lost in the scroll. Every share increases the chance that someone, somewhere, will recognize a face.

2. Report Early and Support Families

When someone disappears, time matters. Report immediately — don’t wait 24 hours. Encourage friends and families to reach out to police and missing-persons networks right away.

3. Advocate for Better Systems

Governments and organizations need stronger coordination, cross-border data sharing, and trauma-informed policies. Pressure local officials to support missing-person investigations and victim services.

4. Build Community Vigilance

Look out for people who are struggling — those who may be isolated, unhoused, or unsafe. Sometimes, early intervention and community connection can prevent a disappearance.

5. Support Those Who Wait

Families of missing persons need emotional, financial, and social support. Ask how you can help — bring a meal, share their posts, listen. Their world has stopped, but ours hasn’t. Our compassion can bridge that gap.

A Universal Hope

Every missing person deserves to be searched for. Every family deserves answers. In a world where attention moves fast and empathy is often fleeting, simply caring — truly caring — can be an act of resistance.

DeShawn is one of thousand, he is everything. His smile, his kindness, his future — they all matter. And they remind us that behind every statistic is a story that could belong to any of us.

Help Bring DeShawn Home

MISSING PERSON: DESHAWN JERRELL WILSON JR. Age: 22  Height: 5'5"  Weight: 135 lbs. Hair & Eyes: Black / Brown Tattoos: “Trust No One Fear God” and “RIP Mommy” Last Seen: March 15th 2025 — Ocean View area, Norfolk, VA. Clothing: Grey / silver New Balances, blue jeans, light blue hoodie with graphics, blue fitted cap 📍 If you see him or have any information: Please contact Norfolk Police Department at 757-644-7000

(Shared with permission. Please circulate respectfully and responsibly.)

Final Thoughts

When someone goes missing, it’s not just a disappearance — it’s a ripple of grief, confusion, and longing that moves through entire communities.

Let’s not let these stories fade. Let’s hold space for those who are still searching. Let’s speak their names, demand better systems, and keep believing that every missing person deserves to come home.

For DeShawn — and for every soul still out there — we keep the light on.

Author’s Note

Written by Margaret Anderson-Kaye Margaret is a writer and advocate who believes in using storytelling to bridge compassion and awareness. She wrote this piece in honor of DeShawn Jerrell Wilson Jr. and the countless missing people whose families still wait for answers.

If this moved you, please share it. Awareness can save lives — and sometimes, it only takes one person noticing to bring someone home.