Missing Girls of Color: What the Data Says—and What It Doesn’t

In a missing-person story, it can be easy to turn the missing person into a question the reader wants solved. I wanted They Never Came Home to keep the girl at the center of the search: a person with a life, people who love her, and a future that matters.

When we talk about missing children, the numbers need the same care we give the stories. They can tell us what was entered in a database. They cannot, by themselves, tell us how many unique children are missing right now or how much attention each case received.

What the FBI’s records show

The FBI’s 2025 NCIC report says 498,038 missing-person records were entered during the year. Its age, sex, and race table lists 75,875 entries for Black females ages 0–17.

That figure is a count of records entered during 2025. It is not a count of 75,875 different girls, and it is not the number still missing at year’s end. A record may be cleared when a person is found or returned, and the report itself cautions readers about how the data is collected. The FBI table also does not measure news coverage or explain the circumstances behind every entry.

For context on media attention, the National Press Foundation’s 2024 Crime Coverage Summit report records advocates and journalists discussing the difficulty families of missing people of color can face in getting coverage. It documents those participants’ experiences; it is not a count of every case or a comprehensive measurement of news coverage.

Where families can find help

If a child is missing, contact local law enforcement immediately. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says to contact its 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) after making the law-enforcement report. The Black and Missing Foundation also lists resources for families of missing people.

These resources are here for practical support. Fiction cannot stand in for a search, an investigation, or the help families need. It can remind readers that the person at the center of a case is never just a headline.

Why I wrote They Never Came Home

My YA thriller follows young people who refuse to stop asking questions when a girl disappears. The search is personal to them. They are looking for someone, not simply trying to solve a puzzle. That distinction shaped the way I wrote the story.

If you’d like to read it, They Never Came Home is available here. You can also explore my other books on the Books page.

Last reviewed September 2026. The FBI figures above are from its 2025 report. This article is informational and is not a substitute for contacting law enforcement or family-support organizations.