Every missing person in South Australia

There are more than 70 people missing in South Australia as one woman dedicates her life to making sure they are not forgotten. See the full list, and their last sightings.

There are more than 70 missing people in South Australia of 38,000 cases received by police each year across Australia.

While most are found in a short period of time there remain about 2600 missing people who have not been found after more than three months.

There are a range of reasons people can go missing, including mental illness, miscommunication, misadventure, domestic violence, and being a victim of crime.

An SAPOL spokesman said the best chance at finding people was immediately after they are missing.

“Police know the importance of locating someone as quickly as possible in order to minimise the trauma and anxiety for loved ones, and as such we encourage friends or relatives to contact police as soon as they become concerned about someone who is missing,” a spokseman said.

“You do not have to wait 24 hours before reporting someone missing.”

While police use social media to help find missing people, it needs to be done in a respectful way.

“Social media is one of the many avenues considered by police in the investigation and location of short and long-term missing persons,” the police spokesman said.

“Police are cognisant of the need to respect the privacy of missing persons when seeking public assistance and speak with the missing person’s family prior to making any public statement or uploading their image on social media.”

While the task of finding these people can be a daunting experience, a Queensland mother of two has been working tirelessly behind the scene for years to ensure no one is left behind.

In 2005 Nicole Morris tuned into a documentary about a man who was searching for his missing aunt.

The young man could not find any databases to fact check information surrounding his aunt, something that left Ms Morris stumped.

“There was just nothing to help families connect those dots,” Ms Morris said.

“To me it highlighted that there was just no database for missing persons.”

Ms Morris felt something had to be done to help keep the memory of those who vanished into thin air, alive.

“I taught myself how to make a website and gathered as much information as I could,” she said.

“Once it started I had families reach out asking if they could put their loved one on the site and that is still the case today.”

The site has grown from long-term missing persons to those who have gone missing immediately.

“I tend to try and get things like car registrations out as quickly as possible because it’s easier to track a car than a person,” Ms Norris said.

“I’m a qualified dementia nurse so having those skills helps me give a qualified answer to families as well as 17 years of running this website and just understanding the common denominators of what these families go through.”

And while Ms Morris remains committed to reunite those with their loved ones, she has also had to learn some tough lessons throughout her throughout the 17 years.

“My process isn’t guns blazing, I always send a very detailed consent because they need to understand what comes with putting a photo of someone online,” she said.

“I’ve had people who have been found safely years later say ‘you put up a missing appeal for me, I came back but my photo is still out there and it’s preventing me from living a normal life’.

“You also need to have an element of questioning when it comes to whether or not you are getting the whole story, because I’ve had women flee domestic violence and the husband wants to find her.

“People need to be sure.”

Ms Morris cites the bond between siblings has astounded her.

“They have a unique relationship, it’s different to a parent looking for their child because sometimes they know more about them,” she said.

“The siblings tend to take on these searches for decades. Even if the parents pass away the siblings continue to look for them and they have this bond that is extraordinary.”

Anyone, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or educational background, may become a missing person.

If you have information on a missing person you should report it to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Crime Stoppers will refer the information to the relevant missing persons unit or the investigating officer on the case.