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Police and Media Should Review Missing Person Guidelines

April 28, 2008

The evolution of crime journalism is both disturbing and disheartening. Too often missing persons go unreported by major media outlets because they do not fall into a specific category. If you're not white, blonde and good-looking, then you had better hope that you never go missing. If you do, there is a good chance that your case will receive little media coverage.  Unfortunately, this form of "media profiling" also spills over into unsolved homicide cases. If you are the victim of a homicide and your family wants the media to help catch your killer, you had better think ahead and do your best to ensure your murder occurs in a quiet suburban neighborhood, otherwise your case probably will not warrant even a two-minute mention on any of the major media outlets.

However, all is not lost. There are exceptions to the "white, blonde and good-looking" rule. If your death was horribly graphic, or if you have a social networking page on MySpace or Youtube, your case could provide the media with fodder for an editorial. A case in point is the recent murder of 17-year-old Heather Walker (photo here) in Dayton, Ohio...

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