Heather Dark is the Chief Strategy Officer at the National Child Protection Task Force. Drawing on her background in nonprofit management, communications, and strategic growth, Heather is leading initiatives that scale NCPTF’s efforts to recover even more missing, exploited, & trafficked children each year.
When people hear that we helped locate 47 missing kids in Erie County, New York, the first reaction is often disbelief. "How is that even possible? Why wasn’t I aware of 47 missing kids?"
These are valid questions–I've asked the same ones, myself. And the answers are rooted in the complexities of how missing child cases are handled, reported, and prioritized across the country.
Let’s start with a fact that surprises many: Amber Alerts are issued for less than 1% of missing children. To qualify, the case must meet strict criteria, including a reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred, that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death, and that there is enough descriptive information about the child, the abduction, or the suspect to assist in the recovery effort. This narrow scope ensures that Amber Alerts remain targeted and effective, cutting through the noise to mobilize immediate action.
But it also means that most missing child cases—runaways, children who leave home voluntarily, or circumstances that don’t meet the criteria—don’t receive the same level of public awareness.
This isn’t to say Amber Alerts don’t work—they do, and they are a vital tool in the fight to protect children. However, the reality is that even children with Amber Alerts need more help. Alerts are only the beginning of a larger effort to bring missing kids home safely. And for the thousands of cases that fall outside the Amber Alert system, we must ensure these children don’t slip through the cracks simply because their cases lack the visibility or urgency an alert provides.
And here’s the hard truth: in most communities, the number of missing children isn’t readily available to the public. It’s a glaring gap that makes it easier for these cases to be overlooked. Underreporting is alarmingly common. Too often, when children run away, their cases aren’t treated with the same urgency as those involving suspected abductions. The dangerous assumption we make is that they’ll come back on their own, eventually.
But every time a child goes missing—whether they ran away, were lured away, or were abducted—they are endangered.
Statistics paint a stark picture of the challenges we face. Over the past five years, more than 90% of missing child reports received by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) each year involved runaways. Even more alarming, 1 in 7 of these missing children are likely victims of child sex trafficking. In 2024 alone, an estimated 29,000 children were reported missing in the United States, underscoring the urgency of addressing this crisis.
These numbers are not just statistics; they represent real children—each with a name, a face, and a family desperately hoping for their safe return.
So, how does this happen? How do kids slip through the cracks? The truth is, our systems aren’t built to treat every missing child case as urgent. And that’s where NCPTF saw an opportunity to make an even bigger difference than we ever have before.
This year, we collaborated with the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Missing Persons Clearinghouse to conduct a first-of-its-kind Missing Child Rescue Operation in Erie County, New York. Over three days, this initiative brought together law enforcement agencies, technology experts, and children & family support services to tackle 50 active missing child cases.
The results were extraordinary: 47 missing children were located!
What made this operation so impactful? NCPTF doesn’t ask whether a child is in danger—we operate as if every missing child is endangered. Every time. Our approach is rooted in the belief that every missing child deserves experts searching for them with urgency and precision.
These operations do what NCPTF has always done best: dig deeper than surface-level details to uncover the unseen. These operations empower compassionate professionals to not only locate, but to figure out the underlying reasons why a child went missing in the first place. Is there instability at home? Exploitation? Lack of support? Is there a need for mental health support or housing? These answers inform long-term solutions to help ensure the individual child’s safety moving forward.
Missing Child Rescue Operations are not just about locating children—they’re about restoring hope. These operations give communities the tools, technology, and collaborative support to find missing kids faster. They also shine a light on systemic gaps that exist so that we, the adults, can begin to find better solutions to help kids thrive in safety.
At the heart of this work is a simple yet profound why: every child deserves a future filled with possibility.
It’s not just our mission—it’s a responsibility we hold as adults to ensure that the most vulnerable among us have the opportunities they need to thrive. Every missing child—whether they’ve run away, been trafficked, or abducted—deserves the unwavering commitment of compassionate adults who are searching, advocating, and fighting for their safety.
Join us.
The need for more Missing Child Rescue Operations has never been greater—every day, more children slip through the cracks. This is a problem we can help solve right now. Our innovative model is proving that rapid, collaborative intervention changes outcomes for our most vulnerable youth, but without additional funding, we simply can’t expand these lifesaving operations to the communities that need them most.
Your gift of $25/month supports Missing Child Rescue Operations in four communities in 2025.
This article was featured in our 2024 Impact Report.
