The Edmonton Police Service receives more than 5000 reports of missing persons per year. Most of these people are found safe.
If you think someone you know might be missing, please review our booklet, Navigating the Missing Persons Process for some steps you can take before you call police.
To report someone missing, call EPS at 780-423-4567.
When a missing person is reported, a risk assessment is done in which a series of questions will identify the nature and urgency of the case. Based on this assessment, police will be dispatched immediately, or the file will be forwarded to Missing Persons Unit where it will be further investigated.
Children, people struggling with mental illness, and those with dementia are among the highest risk categories, and are dispatched immediately to patrol officers.
These officers immediately begin an investigative checklist to locate the person as soon as possible. This checklist includes physically checking the area the person was last seen, checking locations and contacts the person frequents, sharing the person’s description with transit, libraries, malls or other public venues in the area, “pinging” their phone and checking social media accounts.
News Releases
After initial investigative steps are completed, another tool officers may consider is a public news release. When police decide to issue a news release, this is not the only thing being done to find the person. Officers continue to pursue investigative tasks while the news release is being fanned out to the public by our media relations team. The community can be a tremendous resource in finding a missing person, and the goal is always to find the person as quickly as possible.
Amber Alerts
An Amber Alert is a type of public notification that can only be done under specific circumstances that are regulated provincially – namely, when a child (or adult with a disability) has been abducted and is in danger of serious harm or death. For more information on Amber Alerts, visit the Alberta Government website.
Contact
To report someone missing, call EPS at 780-423-4567. Email inquiries cannot be submitted for investigation