Trying to keep all the cases current

I’ve addressed this before, the issue of how some databases are not updated as well as they should be, and sometimes they have people listed as missing who have actually been found already. You might ask me: what do I make sure such cases don’t make their way onto my site?

The short answer would be “the best I can.”

Some databases are such serious offenders in this regard that I simply won’t list their cases at all unless I have independent proof that the person is still missing. (Lookin’ at you, New Mexico.) But I’ve learned the hard way that NO database is completely free of listings of “missing” people who were actually found months ago.

I also do things like check for active social media profiles. If a database has Mary Smith listed as missing for over a year, but Mary Smith has a personal Facebook page and it is definitely her and it definitely had recent activity, chances are Mary is not missing.

This is hardly a perfect way of going about it, but it generally works pretty well most of the time.

An update on the update

So Preston has significantly improved the advanced search function, and he says that all the problems the site was having with the Internet Explorer browser have been resolved. I don’t have Internet Explorer myself so I’ll just take his word on that.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: Diane Suzuki

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I am profiling one Asian or Pacific Islander MP for every day of the month of May. Today’s case is Diane Yayoe Suzuki, a 19-year-old of Japanese descent who disappeared from Aiea, Hawaii on July 6, 1985. She was a student at the University of Hawaii and a part-time dance instructor, and apparently disappeared from work. Some blood was found in the dance studio bathroom.

The suspect in her disappearance is Dewey Hamasaki, a photographer at the dance studio who knew Diane. There was never enough evidence to charge him, and the case remains unsolved after over 30 years.