“Did Not Return in Time for Curfew”: A Descriptive Analysis of Homeless Missing Persons Cases

Abstract

Homeless communities have garnered recent public attention in Canada due to their high rates of violence, victimization, and being reported as missing. There have been several high-profile cases, investigations, and inquiries involving missing homeless persons, yet very little is known about what cases are reported to the police, under what circumstances they go missing, and the outcomes of those cases. As a result, the purpose of this study is to provide some insights into some of these unresolved issues by offering an exploratory, descriptive analysis of 291 closed missing person cases from the records of a municipal police service. What this analysis reveal is a somewhat more mundane picture. Specifically, results indicate that the majority of missing person reports are of those who are female and White, have a drug/alcohol addiction, are residing at homeless shelters/missions, and have a history of being reported as missing. As well, it was revealed that most people are reported as missing due to shelter/mission reporting issues with curfews and that all are located alive. This study extends the minimal existing scholarship on the missing homeless population by providing some preliminary insights on the vulnerabilities and factors that can impact these cases.

An exploration of unsolved missing persons cases suspected of a criminal outcome: A forensic victimology approach

“…Moreover, some studies noted that lifestyle risk factors such as being homeless, sex-trade workers, transient, and socially isolated, could also be associated with missing person cases suspected of homicide (Horan & Beauregard, 2016;LePard et al, 2015;Quinet, 2007). It is important to note, however, that in previous studies several cases involving marginalised missing persons were not associated with a criminal context (Bonny et al, 2016;Huey & Ferguson, 2020). According to the study by Quinet et al (2016), deceased persons with no known next of kin could be reported missing in the official databases in cases where no one has come to identify and claim their body.…”

How far do they go?: A spatial examination of missing persons from hospitals

“…This said, additional research is warranted from other locations known to represent significant drivers of police missing person reports, such as group homes, homeless shelters and mission centres (Gibb and Woolnough, 2007; Shalev et al. , 2009; Huey and Ferguson, 2020).…”

“…Of the few studies generated on this issue to date, it can be said that in most cases, persons reported missing will return of their own volition, with common locations found being their home or neighbourhood (Cohen et al. , 2008; Huey, 2019; Huey and Ferguson, 2020). Others will be located by police, family and/or friends through search and rescue efforts (Huey, 2019; Ferguson et al , 2021).…”

“…These matters often render these police service calls high-risk (i.e. by way of police risk assessment) due to increased chances of harm and victimization during missing occurrences, coupled with the variety of states and capacities persons are in when missing from hospitals (Hayden and Shalev-Greene, 2018; Huey and Ferguson, 2020; Ferguson, 2021).…”

“…While such worst-case scenarios fuel the public imagination and drive public policy and policing responses, it is important to remember that these are, statistically speaking, rare cases. Instead, missing persons are more likely to be located alive and reasonably well (Huey and Ferguson, 2020). Further, missing persons are typically located within a brief period of time – usually within a day or up to a week of being reported as missing (Payne, 1995; Shalev et al.…”