Worry has been brought upon the residents of the state of Maryland as many young kids have been repeatedly going missing. According to the World Population Review, there are 234 missing cases in the state of Maryland. Though there’s always open cases, there have recently been more back-to-back occurrences, with some being found deceased.
Recently, the case that shocked everyone around the world was the case of Dacara Thompson, a 19 year old girl who was reported missing in Prince George’s County on August 23. She was then found deceased two weeks later. This case spiked lots of worry throughout the Prince George’s County area and Maryland in general, as people noticed the amount of missing people cases. It’s normal to feel concerned about the situation and try to spread awareness, though some cases are being taken out of context and false information is being shared around the internet. These ongoing cases are to be taken seriously, and it is very important to share the correct information in order to help people and spread awareness.
We asked Daniela Flores, a recent UMD graduate about her awareness and opinion about how this is affecting our community. Local police departments should have more involvement in trying to find these children. Daniela believes that “not seeing enough being done by the local authorities to find children and the elderly builds a lack of trust in these authorities…” and how “…people fear that if something were to happen to them, then these authorities would not fulfill their duty of taking as much action as possible to find them.” There are many causes to worry about kids safety in the community if there’s nothing being done to protect the kids that are being targeted. The majority of the children going missing are either black or children of color in general, and by ignoring that fact, more children will be targeted since so little is being done. In the majority of the interviews we gave, up to 5 of the interviewee’s parents were unaware or only learned recently about the alarming rate of missing teens. We asked student Freddybelle Mbayu and another anonymous student in grades 11 & 10 from Eleanor Roosevelt High School if they were aware that 70% of the missing children this year were black. Feddybelle and our other interviewees were shocked, this was the first they’ve heard about it. This is why it is important to talk about it in schools, make more people aware of the events happening in our community, so that they can take the safety precautions to keep them safe.
Following the rise in missing youth reports, Maryland has been working to improve safety and awareness across the state. The Maryland State police runs a State Clearinghouse for missing children, which tracks and helps coordinate searches. State law now requires police to take missing person reports immediately, without any waiting period. In counties like Prince George’s and Montgomery, police post missing-person alerts regularly, and many of these children are later found safe. Even with these systems, some cases remain heartbreaking, such as the ongoing search for Sarah and Jacob Hoggle, missing since 2014, and the recent Dacara Thompson case in PG County. These stories remind people how serious the issue still is.
To help, the public should focus on spreading true, verified information and sharing alerts only from trusted sources like the Maryland State police, PGPD, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). False posts and rumors can cause panic and slow real investigation. Schools, community centers, and local leaders can also raise awareness by teaching safety, encouraging quick reporting, and using social media responsibly to share accurate updates that help bring missing youth home safely.
Overall, the increase in missing teen cases across Maryland has made many people realize how serious this issue really is. Every missing person has family and friends hoping they’ll come home, and that’s something the whole community should care about. By paying attention, sharing real information, and looking out for one another, we can help make Maryland a safer place for everyone. Awareness is the first step to change, and it starts with people talking about what’s really happening.