David Bridges
WORCESTER — While more and more postings for missing children are popping up on the Police Department’s social media pages, the public needn’t worry that there might be a troubling trend among city youth.
“More children aren’t missing or running away in the city,” Lt. Sean Murtha said. “The Worcester Police Department is just posting more missing children on social media.”
The Worcester Police Department has been asking for the public’s assistance in locating missing city youths and their requests seem to be making all the difference in the world.
Since Sept. 1, 2021, 31 missing children posted on the Worcester Police Department’s Facebook page has result in them being located and returned to their homes safe and unharmed, usually within a day.
When there is a safe return, the original post is updated usually with an announcement that the youth has been located and is safe.
Since Sept. 1, 2021, six missing youths out of 37 posted on the Worcester Police Department’s Facebook page have not been found. They are a 15-year-old girl reported missing Feb. 8; a 12-year-old boy reported missing June 7; a 14-year-old boy reported missing July 9; a 16-year-old girl reported missing July 21; a 14-year-old girl reported missing Aug. 17; and a 17-year-old reported missing Sunday.
In addition to the missing youth’s photo, there is a detailed description posted on Facebook of how they look and, in many cases, what they were seen last wearing. There is also information of when and where they were last seen and, in some cases, their past history or behavior that might be relevant to their safe and speedy return.
One of the missing youths that is still missing “has gone to New York City in the past and is known to ride the bus.” Another left home with friends in the afternoon and was last seen in the area of Crystal Park, while another clearly “ran away” from home.
Before, in cases with small children, if there was any suspicion of foul play, or if parents asked for it, the police department would post immediately, Murtha said.
Recently, the police department made a decision toward offering parents and guardians the use of its social media in cases where an older teen refused to come home or obey the rules of the house.
Murtha said they found that usually posting a missing child has done wonders for a quick and safe return.
“Thankfully, the vast majority of teens come back before too long, and we have found that social media can help with this,” Murtha said. “For example, runaways are often at a friend’s house without the permission of their parents. The adults at the house they are staying at might not know that their parents are looking for them. By creating awareness via social media that the child is supposed to be home, it often makes it easier for the parents to get the child back.”
While everyone wishes the quick and safe return of a child to their family, Murtha acknowledges that there is a potential “downside” to posting a child missing.
“It makes someone’s private business very public when they’re on Facebook like that. So it’s not something that everybody always wants,” Murtha said. “If a parent watches their kid run away every day, you know, they don’t come home for dinner. A lot of times, they’re not going to want to put them on Facebook. It could become a stigma, potentially.”
Child’s safety in balance
Murtha said a balance must be found between the safety of the child with the potential damage to the child’s reputation.
“It is negative attention, in a sense,” Murtha said. “We leave it in the family’s hands because they know the child best. We want to make sure that they (parents) know about this option.”
Still, Murtha said they have found a lot of families appreciate and want the picture of their missing child on social media, and the police and the public have been pleased with the results.
“It does work very well, especially when the kids are young,” Murtha said. “There are a lot of dangers to them being out on their own. So we started being more proactive about certain cases. Not pushing it on the families but, suggesting, ‘Hey, this is a good way to do it.’ And we get their consent. So, we don’t do this without their (the parents’) consent.”
Murtha said the police department had a recent case of a missing 14-year-old, which was shared 975 times and had 76 comments. The child had been gone for days but was back home the evening after it was posted on social media.
Maya Kensington
Mason Thompson
