Some say it’s simply a mother’s intuition: a lump in the throat or a throb to the heart that warns their child is in danger, even when police suggest otherwise.
It guided Latonya Moore when her twenty-six-year-old daughter Shantieya Smith still wasn’t home as night fell May 28, 2018. It was out of character for her to not reach out, especially on a school night. Moore worried officers would be dismissive if she called in, so her cousin suggested they head to a nearby 10th District police station. “I wanted them to see my face so that they could understand my concern was real,” remembers Moore.
It guided her even as the officer at the front desk told her not to worry, she remembers. Maybe she is with a boyfriend, the officer suggested. It wasn’t uncommon for young women like Smith to run off with a man. “Give it forty-eight hours” before filing the report, Moore remembers the officer saying.
In Illinois, it’s against state law for any law enforcement official to refuse an in-person missing person report on any grounds, regardless of the missing person’s age, affiliation, lifestyle or amount of time missing. Nowadays, the first 24 to 48 hours after someone goes missing are widely understood as the most vital part of a police investigation—critical to finding leads, collecting evidence and, in some cases, saving lives. The Chicago Police Department even collaborated with the network A&E on a show called “The First 48: Missing Persons,” showing (as research confirms) that those crucial early hours can make or break a missing person case.
In the “gender equity” plank of his election campaign, Mayor Brandon Johnson pledged to establish a missing persons initiative that would train civilians in trauma-informed crisis response.
“Our administration is committed to seeing these individuals and their families, investing in them, and providing the resources needed to solve these cases and bring justice and closure to loved ones and communities,” mayor’s office spokesperson Ronnie Reese says.
Johnson’s office did not respond to an interview request for more details on this plan, but directly funding community and family-led missing person searches in Chicago could bridge the gap in police services, says former Chicago Police Department homicide detective Gerald Hamilton, who in his retirement has supported searches for missing Black women and girls.
The public is fascinated with the theory that Chicago’s missing person crisis results from a sole serial killer. While local advocates believe there are multiple, the consensus among everyone is that the problem’s root is tied to systemic violence like disinvestment. Missing persons cases have drawn national attention in how police handle these cases. While reform slowly gains momentum, families who’ve loved ones go missing can’t wait.
