Photos: OJJDP Commemorates 42nd Annual National Missing Children's Day
National Missing Children's Day is observed each year on May 25th. The annual observance is dedicated to encouraging individuals concerned with the well-being of children to make child safety a priority.
On May 22, 2025, OJJDP renewed its commitment to protect all children and bring missing children home safely at the 42nd annual National Missing Children's Day commemoration.
OJJDP hosted the event at the Office of Justice Programs in Washington, DC. OJJDP Acting Administrator Eileen M. Garry provided opening remarks.
"Today’s Missing Children’s Day commemoration is a reminder that child safety must be a shared priority. Because, ultimately, we all have a role to play—parents, guardians, caregivers, concerned citizens, law enforcement, and other professionals. Together we are responsible for safeguarding our nation’s most valuable resource: its young people.”
—OJJDP Acting Administrator Eileen M. Garry
Guest speaker Michelle C. DeLaune, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children President and CEO, has been with NCMEC for more than two decades. She created the first-ever data science program at NCMEC, providing the organization with more timely information to protect children. Ms. DeLaune spoke about the organization's work, including efforts to address non-custodial parental abductions.
Two Panel Discussions
The commemoration featured two panel discussions. The first panel focused on the experience of siblings of missing children and included now-adult siblings who contributed to the second edition of OJJDP's What About Me? Finding Your Path Forward When Your Brother or Sister is Missing guide.
The second panel discussed the Children's Justice Project, a partnership between OJJDP and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Launched in May 2024, the project uses forensic techniques to identify the remains of children across the country who have been found deceased but never identified. Panelists from the National Institute of Justice, NCMEC, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation discussed the project's first solved case.
2025 Poster Winner
Artwork was submitted by fifth graders from schools and organizations from around the country for the 2025 National Missing Children's Day poster contest. Participating students created posters using the theme "Bringing Our Missing Children Home."
The contest creates an opportunity for schools, law enforcement and child advocates to engage in discussions about child safety with youth and their parents.
Jax S., of Wellston, OH, is the winner of the 2025 National Missing Children's Day poster contest.
“Jax’s powerful artwork captures the deep pain and emptiness a family feels when a child goes missing. Using a split-image approach, his poster shows both the parents’ worry and despair, as well as the child’s loneliness and fear.”
—OJJDP Acting Administrator Garry
Jax described his artwork and how it encompasses the theme of bringing missing children home. This winning poster is the inspiration for the logo design for next year's commemoration.
"My poster is a family photo wall on the left side. The two sad parents are standing in front of the pictures. In the pictures, the child is dark with a question mark showing that he is missing. There is a split in the wall and on the other side, the child is sitting in a dark corner with no idea where he is or how to get back to his parents. The parents and the child are silhouettes, symbolizing the sadness."
—Jax S.