The Missing Children Act of 1985 established a Montana Missing Persons Clearinghouse within the Department of Justice. In October 2021, Attorney General Austin Knudsen launched an enhanced online Montana Missing Persons Database to aid law enforcement agencies and the public find missing persons and bring them home.
It is our hope that having up-to-date information available to law enforcement officials, educators, and community members throughout the state will increase the likelihood that someone will identify a missing person and contact the Clearinghouse or law enforcement.
The Missing Persons Clearinghouse:
- Assists law enforcement agencies in entering the necessary information into state and national databases, and in identifying missing and unidentified persons
- Provides general assistance and information to the public concerning missing persons in Montana
- Works closely with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and other state clearinghouses to aid in locating children who have been unlawfully taken out of Montana or brought into Montana
- Maintains an online database of missing persons in Montana to ensure that elementary and secondary schools throughout the state are aware of school-age children who are missing.