Kansas currently has 129 open missing person cases

Like a lot of Americans, our thoughts and prayers have been focused on Nancy Guthrie, 84-year-old mother of well-known American broadcast journalist Savannah Guthrie, since she was reportedly abducted from her Tucson, Ariz. home on Jan. 31.

At this writing, there still has been no resolution on this high-profile missing person case.

In the United States, about 2,300 people are reported missing every day, it is reported. While most of these cases are resolved quickly, tens of thousands remain open as active long-term investigations.

The total number of missing persons varies depending on which official database is used. 

As of early 2026, there are more than 26,180 active missing person cases listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).

About 600,000 individuals are reported missing annually in the U.S., it is reported.

The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) recorded 93,447 active missing person records as of the end of 2024. 

In 2024, youth accounted for 27 percent of active records in the NCIC database, with nearly 350,000 reports involving youth entered that year.

The state of Alaska consistently reports the highest rate of missing persons per capita, while California, Texas, and Florida have the highest absolute number of open cases.

About 38 percent of open cases involve individuals who have been missing for more than 20 years. 

Experts often refer to the volume of missing and unidentified persons as a “silent mass disaster.” 

In addition to missing persons, there are about 15,400 open cases for unidentified remains found across the country. 

As of early 2026, there are about 129 open missing persons cases in our state of Kansas. This total includes both adults and juveniles who have not yet been located. 

The World Population Review reports 129 open cases and 195 resolved cases for Kansas in its most recent 2025/2026 dataset.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) currently lists 122 active missing children cases.

As of early 2026, there are about 72 foster children reported as missing or AWOL in the state.

Law enforcement often handles hundreds of missing person reports annually; for example, the Kansas City (KS) Police Department alone has handled more than 140 missing person reports and 335 runaway cases in a single year.

The case of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance has drawn the attention of the entire nation and local, state and national police have all been involved at various times.

The national media has also devoted a lot of news coverage and resources to this high-profile case. We pray that Nancy Guthrie is found safe and sound.

We also hope that this case helps shine some light on all the other missing person cases and that the “silent mass disaster’’ gets strong voices to advocate for those cases to be resolved.