Using Art to Humanise Missing Persons Cases

A new art project is reimagining the way we think about missing persons cases. 'The Unmissables' pairs illustrators and writers with people who have been reported missing, asking them to tell personal stories that make each case far more compelling than a profile on the back of a milk carton.

The organisation behind the new initiative, Missing Persons Advocacy Network (MPAN), knows all too well that if a missing person case doesn't have enough salacious detail to keep the media interested, it tends to fall by the wayside. Which is a problem, because community involvement is hugely helpful when it comes to searching for someone who has disappeared. "On top of the emotional trauma of living with an ambiguous loss, families of non-suspicious, long term cases have an especially difficult task in keeping the public engaged with their search," founder and CEO Loren O'Keeffe tells Creators.

"We're all so distracted nowadays that one of our biggest challenges is getting the public's attention. Generally they're only given the vital stats like name, height,and age. Which doesn't compel someone to make space for a stranger's face."

That's where the artists and writers come in. MPAN hopes that the organisation's new project will create compelling visual narratives that humanise the stories of missing people and thereby make them much more memorable. "Art moves and engages. And that's exactly what we need to be doing, because they are loved and missed, and so much more than their vital stats," O'Keeffe explains.

"Missing persons is a community issue. Our organisation encourages a collaborative effort, using people power to complement and combat the limited resources of police and emergency services. Our society has for too long been made to associate missing persons solely with police, but the reality is that police don't have the resources and understandably have to prioritise only the most suspicious cases—which is only about two percent of them."

It's O'Keeffe's prediction that the campaign will not only help locate missing people, but also provide a sense of catharsis for their families. "The project has always been twofold—to create awareness for the faces of missing loved ones, but also to ensure that families know that they are not alone in their search and that people care. The public don't really get an opportunity to learn about what living with ambiguous loss is like, so there hasn't been a lot of empathy or understanding for those left behind."

Sadly, MPAN's CEO knows all too well what it's like to experience this kind of loss. Her younger brother Dan disappeared in 2011, and because his case wasn't deemed suspicious, police were reluctant to get involved. It fell to her family to try and solve the mystery and raise awareness of his absence through creating a Facebook group. His remains were found late last year.

O'Keeffe describes the feeling of not knowing what happened as "total, constant, unrelenting torment", and is eager to provide others in the same situation with whatever relief she can.

"Giving them the chance to tell a compassionate, talented stranger more about them as a person—not a case—gives families a much deserved sense of solace. This gesture, this acknowledgment means the world to the families that these writers and artists are helping, and it's reframing the way our society sees the broader issue."

Find out more about 'The Unmissables' and view more artist profiles here. If you're a writer or artist looking to get involved, volunteer here.

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