OJJDP Observes National Missing Children's Day

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25 as National Missing Children's Day in memory of Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy who disappeared from a New York City street corner. Each year, National Missing Children’s Day is encourages parents, guardians, caregivers, and others concerned with the well-being of children to make child safety a priority.

On May 20, 2020, the Department of Justice announced the winners of the National Missing Children’s Day awards. The recipients were recognized for their extraordinary efforts to find missing children and bring child sexual predators and child pornographers to justice. The Department also declared Oregon fifth-grader Elliana Conrad the winner of this year's poster contest.

This year, in lieu of an in-person ceremony, the Department commemorated National Missing Children’s Day virtually through a website featuring additional information about the awardees, poster contest winner, and related resources. Read DOJ’s "Commemorating National Missing Children’s Day" blog.

RESOURCES: 

• Visit OJJDP's Missing and Exploited Children website.
• Follow OJJDP on Twitter and Facebook.