On May 25, 1979, 6-year-old Etan Patz disappeared in New York . This event gave rise to a missing persons movement, which led to the development of new methods to aid searches, such as photos on milk cartons, in the mid-1980s.
In tribute to the passing of Etan Patz, May 25 was designated International Missing Children's Day.
In Italy (data from the Interior Ministry) in 2023 , 29,315 people vanished into thin air (data increasing compared to the previous year), of which over 17 thousand minors (4,128 Italians and 13,002 foreigners).
Looking at the numbers in Sardinia, last year a total of 277 missing persons reports were filed, of which approximately half concerned minors. The "disappeared" in the 0-17 age group were 138 (equal to 49.8%) of the total.
In the majority of cases the complaint is followed by the discovery by the police. But out of the total cases, 87 people vanished last year on the island and have not yet been traced.
On the occasion of May 25th, the State Police organized an awareness and prevention campaign, entitled "Control. Reflect. Report... and don't waste time, call the emergency number 112".
The police remind you that the YOUPOL app and the single European number 116000 are also available for complaints and reports, a direct telephone line for missing minors entrusted by the Ministry of the Interior to the management of the "SOS Il Telefono Azzurro ETS" Foundation. ”.