Missing Children's Assistance Network

Purpose

If your child is being hidden by a vindictive or law-breaking parent, or has been otherwise kidnapped, you may find that our legal system does not operate well unless you have large amounts of money to spend. If a custody fight in court doesn't wipe you out financially at $10,000 to $30,000 for starters, indefinite hearings to get the police on the ball and hiring private investigators to track down your hidden child likely will. Parents left impoverished by such a fight can be left with little or nothing to spare for their child's college education or inheritance, leaving this a "scorched earth" system, where everyone, including the children, lose.

Until the cost of our legal system can be brought in line with reason, parents are left with no choice but to do whatever they can on their own. In fact, the extreme frustration and pain of being denied the natural presence of one's own children is often what leads to parental abductions in the first place. Whatever the causes of failiure, the fact remains that parents who have the legal right to know where their children are should not be barred from this information by cost.

If every parent with a missing child could spend all their time wandering from city to city, searching public records and streets and shopping malls, looking for their children, they might eventually be found. However, an abducted child is likely to be taken far away; travel and hotel expenses would soon wipe you out.

But consider this - parents who have had their children abducted live in virtually every city and county. What if we help each other out -"I'll search my city if you search yours". This saves the enormous expenses of travel, and prevents the risk of tipping off a hiding kidnapper with your own presence (who may then flee knowing that they have been found out).

MCAN is the internet equivalent of pictures on milk cartons, but with an important added benefit; someone is actually looking for your child in a city where they are suspected might be found. This does not have the failing of depending on the doubtful coincidence that someone will stumble upon a poster or milk carton and see your hidden child often enough to know their face on sight and recognize them from an old black-and-white re-copied picture.

How Does MCAN Work?

MCAN participants must narrow down a search to a specific city or county, called the target location. This might be the child's last known location, or a town where the abductor has relatives, etc.. Other useful information, such as a scanned photograph, possible aliases, information about the suspect and his/her habits, etc., is also provided. By doing so, you agree to perform a search in your own city or county for another MCAN participant who names your area as their target location. This way, time and effort are shared, and there is no cost.

MCAN participants must diligently gather information in a perfectly legal manner, in an effort to inform the serching parent of the location of their child or children. One this has been done, their obligation is considered fulfilled, one search gotten for one search given. Results of course cannot be guaranteed, but are always hoped for.

Participants must have the legal right to find the child searched for (you CANNOT participate on behalf of someone else), and you must have the ability to carry out your obligations, such as transportation, ability to reach public buildings where public records are maintained, etc..

Joining will get the name of your area (only) posted with a member number assigned to you on the Members List, alongside the target area you need searched. When another member joins with your area named as the target area, you must do the search for them. When you join and there is no member in your target area, you must wait until someone living in your target area joins to have the search you are owed done. Everyone with a missing child is encouraged to join. When everyone performs their obligations, there is a good chance that at least some children missing will wil in the end.

MCAN puts the two parents in contact with one another by e-mail. WE DO NOT MAINTAIN OR DIVULGE ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION, or specific information about the children being searched for. No sensitive information is posted at this web site. This maintains your privacy, but more importantly, this web site cannot be used by hiding child abductors as a tip-off that they are being searched for. Our involvement is strictly limited to making matches between victims of the same terrible crime who can directly or indirectly help each other.

Where do I Find Tips on Searching?

Links to other sites giving helpful tips for searchers will be posted at this site when there are sufficient members registered to begin.

How do I Join?

We are currently putting together the list of members. When you send an e-mail to the address below with the name of your city and county, i.e., the one you are willing to search for another member, and a list of up to three target areas you would like other members to search, we assign you a random member number, and post this information only on the list (without your e-mail address; this stops spammers from abusing the list). When someone living in a target area you have named joins the list, we send you their e-mail address and a short message indicating which target area they have indicated they live in. When you join as a resident of an existing member's target area, we of course send your e-mail address in a similar e-mail to the existing member.

All persons must agree to the oath on the signup page here before they can be listed. Please note that although all members have taken this oath, we cannot assume any responsibility whatever for the accuracy of the information provided to us for listing, or provided to you directly by another member. See the disclaimers. Once you have established e-mail contact with another member, it is strongly suggested that you verify their identity and truthfulness by whatever means you consider satisfactory, just as you would with any other message board "matchmaking" service, etc.. Ask them whatever questions you have - don't be shy. The rest is between the two of you. Unless we hear otherwise by e-mail, we assume after one month that everything has worked out between you as well as it could, and we credit the person in the target area with one search. However, if after during that month we have received an e-mail disputing that any search has actually been done, the person claiming to have done the search will not be credited. Any person believed violating the oath of membership will be removed from the list - thus such a person would likely be removed. Sorry, but we cannot get in the middle of any disputes that might arise, and the rules have to be kept simple to work. It is all done on the honor system, which we consider better than the alternative.

Where is the List?

We plan to post the list here when there are more than just a few members. We don't know how long it will take. As with everything on the internet, it takes time to become listed on all search engines, linked from other sites, and generally catch on. Please be patient.

Why are we Doing This?

We are hoping to find our own missing child.