Missing people: the Italian phenomenon. Hints for an operating proposal

Abstract

The current study looks into the missing persons phenomenon, with particular reference to the Italian framework during the last three-years period. The Italian investigative best practices protocol is coordinated by a Government agency for policy on missing persons (Commissario Straordinario del Governo per le Persone Scomparse): the following observations focus on plans of action adopted and good outcomes achieved by the aforesaid Officer. The considerations about the distinctive features of missing incidents suggest the drafting of a theoretical and explanatory model: starting from the study of a sample involving missing persons, the Authors try to find those factors that lead people to run away, to identify reliable “missing indicators”, in order to achieve operational best performance during the period in which people are missing and to reduce the incidents of subjects going missing.