GREAT FALLS, MT — A social media post about missing children in the Great Falls area spread widely across Montana, prompting police to explain how they handle missing persons reports.
The post showed a screenshot from the Montana Department of Justice website listing eight children reported missing since July 31. Great Falls police said that, as of Thursday, Aug. 20, only two children from Great Falls were still missing.
Police say the eight children were classified as runaways
Great Falls Police Capt. Brian Black said the number of missing children can change quickly as cases are updated and resolved.
He said all eight children highlighted in the viral post were classified as runaways, and investigators did not believe any of them had reached the level of danger that would trigger a Missing Endangered Person Advisory or an AMBER Alert.
How runaway reports are entered and reviewed
When a runaway is reported, Black said the case is entered into the National Crime Information Center and then added to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database.
In most cases, he said, investigators do not have evidence showing the child is in immediate danger. If that changes, police work with the Montana Department of Justice to decide whether the case should move to a MEPA or, in an abduction case, an AMBER Alert.
Why police do not always publicize runaway cases
Black said GFPD usually does not release information about runaways because public sharing can complicate the investigation and make it harder to bring the child home quickly.
Police will share details when they believe a child’s life may be at risk. Black said every missing child report gets follow-up, whether it is handled by patrol officers, detectives or school resource officers.
“None of them just get put on a shelf,” he said.
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