SAN FRANCISCO—KCRA was the first to report that a missing teenage girl, Selena Gomez, 17, was found safe in San Francisco on Thursday, January 7. The Sacramento Police Department deemed Gomez “at risk” because of her age and indicated there were no signs of foul play after she was found.
The San Francisco News contacted the Sacramento PD for additional comment on the teen’s disappearance, but did not hear back before print.
Attorney General, Xavier Becerra indicated on the California Attorney General’s website there is a mistaken belief that the family or friends of a missing person must wait a specific amount of time before reporting them missing. He noted the California Penal Code requires for the police to take the missing person’s report without delay whether it is a child missing or an adult.
“In California, a missing person is someone whose whereabouts is unknown to the reporting party. This includes any child who may have run away, been taken involuntary, or may be in need of assistance. It includes a child illegally taken, held or hidden by a parent or non-parent family member,” the Attorney General’s website states.
“There is NO waiting period for reporting a person missing. All California police and sheriffs’ departments must accept any report, including a report by telephone of a missing person, including runaways, without delay and will give priority to the handling of the report,” states the California Attorney General’s website.
The California Department of Justice issued a report that explained in 2019, there were about 41,670 girls who went missing and 35,026 boys who went missing for a combined total of 76,696 children. The report states that of those children, 73,106 ran away from their homes without the knowledge or permission of their parents or guardian, 1,587 were abducted by a family member or parent, and 29 were abducted by strangers.
The California Department of Justice stated in their report that in 2019, the vast majority of the missing children were safely returned to their parents or guardian, and 41 of the missing children were found deceased.
The San Francisco Police Department noted to bring all pertinent information, including the name of the missing person, their date of birth or age, a physical description, and medical information. The police indicated that they would need to know what the circumstances surrounding the disappearance were and the last known location of the missing person. It is helpful to know the missing person’s phone number, email address, known associates’ contact information, and a photograph of them.
To report a missing person, call the SFPD Missing Person Unit at 1-415-558-5508 or the Operations Center at 1-415-553-1071.
