The Quiet Network Searching for the Missing

A missing persons case appeared in the news again last week. The name Nancy Guthrie surfaced briefly in coverage. Stories like that move quickly through the media cycle.

A few updates.

A short wave of public attention.

Then the story disappears from the headlines.

What the public rarely sees is the quiet network of professionals who step in when a person vanishes and time begins to matter. When investigations stretch beyond the first wave of attention, families and investigators often begin searching for additional expertise outside the immediate jurisdiction.

One of those networks is Find Me Group, founded by Kelly Snyder.

Snyder is a double-retired federal agent who served with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. For more than 20 years he has coordinated a national group of volunteer specialists who assist missing persons and homicide investigations.

I joined that network in 2007 as a forensic volunteer expert.

The rule inside the organization has always been simple. Families are never billed. Law enforcement agencies are never billed. The work is donated.

Most people have no idea that groups like this exist.

The Scale of Missing Persons in the United States

The scale of missing persons cases in the United States surprises people who have never looked at the data.

The FBI National Crime Information Center (NCIC) receives roughly 500,000 to 600,000 missing person reports every year. Many are resolved quickly. A teenager runs away and returns. A vulnerable adult is located within hours. A misunderstanding is corrected.

But thousands of cases remain unresolved long enough to require sustained investigation.

• Annual missing person reports

• Active unresolved investigations

• Interagency coordination across jurisdictions

Law enforcement agencies carry the primary responsibility for these investigations. Yet many departments, especially smaller jurisdictions, lack access to specialized tools or personnel.

Another factor investigators understand, but the public rarely considers, is jurisdictional responsibility. When a case belongs to a particular agency, the investigative burden and the accountability belong to that agency as well. Bringing in outside assistance requires trust, coordination, and confidence that additional voices will support the investigation rather than complicate it.

For that reason many departments are cautious about outside involvement. When volunteer expert networks are used successfully, it is usually because investigators recognize that additional expertise can strengthen the case rather than dilute it.

That is where volunteer expert networks can become valuable.

Find Me Group draws from investigators, forensic specialists, behavioral analysts, search-and-rescue teams, cadaver dog handlers, aerial search crews, and other professionals willing to contribute their expertise.

• Helicopters have been used.
• Fixed-wing aircraft have been used.
• Ground search teams map terrain and coordinate search grids.
• Search and rescue dogs assist in locating human remains or tracking scent trails. Specialists analyze behavioral patterns, linguistics, and investigative data.

No one receives an invoice because no one is sent a bill.

Screening and Credibility

One aspect of Find Me Group often raises eyebrows when people first hear about it. The organization allows vetted psychics to submit information in some cases.

That fact alone is enough to generate criticism from people who assume the system must be careless or unserious. The reality is the opposite.

Kelly Snyder screens members the way a federal investigator screens sources. People do not simply request membership and gain access to case information. Backgrounds are reviewed. Credentials are examined. Behavior and credibility are assessed.

If that ethical standard did not exist, I would not have joined the organization in 2007.

Investigators who have worked missing persons cases understand a basic operational principle. When someone disappears, credible leads must be examined and ruled in or ruled out. Evidence determines what survives scrutiny.

The screening process exists to ensure that only vetted information reaches investigators who are already managing a complex investigation.

Cases I Worked Through the Network

Over the years I have assisted on several cases connected to the organization.

• Dylan Redwine case

• Isabel Celis case

• Multi-state serial homicide investigation

• Other consultations across multiple jurisdictions

Each case required coordination between volunteer specialists and official investigators. The disciplines involved varied. Forensic work. Behavioral analysis. Body language assessment. Search operations. Investigative consultation.

I'll share one incident that illustrates how quickly that collaboration can happen.

I was teaching a law-enforcement class in a remote area of Arizona when my phone vibrated with a text message from Kelly Snyder. He did not know I was in the middle of teaching.

The message contained a photograph of a handwriting sample. There was no explanation attached. Only one question.

“What do you think of this handwriting?”

Handwriting analysis has been part of my professional work for decades. I looked at the sample and immediately responded.

“Serial killer.”

His response came back almost instantly.

“Call me ASAP.”

I stepped out during a break and called him. The handwriting belonged to a suspect connected to multiple homicides spanning the upper Midwest into the Northeast United States. WATCH OUR VIDEO ABOUT IT HERE.

That kind of rapid consultation is common inside professional investigative networks. Specialists recognize patterns quickly because they have spent years studying them. Sometimes a small piece of information moves an investigation forward.

The Work the Public Rarely Sees

Missing persons work is rarely dramatic. It is slow, methodical, and often quiet.

• Mapping terrain for search grids.
• Reviewing documents.
• Coordinating volunteers.
• Evaluating behavioral indicators.
• Calling investigators when a lead appears credible enough to examine further.

Families usually encounter these networks during the worst period of their lives. Someone they love has disappeared and every hour feels heavy.

At that point the question becomes simple.

Who is willing to help?

Find Me Group was built to answer that question.

For more than two decades the organization has assembled investigators, forensic experts, search teams, analysts, and other volunteers willing to step in when a case needs additional eyes and additional expertise.

The public occasionally hears a name like Nancy Guthrie when a case briefly surfaces in the news. Behind those headlines is a quiet network of professionals who show up because someone has to.

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Sources That Don’t Suck

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2023). National Crime Information Center Missing Person and Unidentified Person Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. (2024). Missing Children in the United States: Data and Trends. Alexandria, VA.

National Institute of Justice. (2021). The Challenges of Missing Persons Investigations. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.

National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. (2023). NamUs Data Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.

United States Department of Justice. (2020). Best Practices for Missing Persons Investigations. Washington, DC.