How to Find Lost or Missing Relatives Online

Last Updated: January 30, 2023 References

Have you been wondering how to start looking for a lost or missing person using the internet? This article includes tips on how to use the internet to find lost childhood friends or relatives who haven't been heard from in a while. All you need is a working web browser and some spare time.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Starting a Search for a Lost or Missing Person

1
Gather information on the missing person. Before you start searching, spend some time thinking about the person you're trying to locate. Consider any details you can recall about their personality, such as hobbies, favorite idioms, maybe even try to remember middle initials or where they were born. If you know their date of birth, this will also come in handy on your search. You need to try to remember any specific aspects of their personality, likes, dislikes or quirks about the person.
2
Start searching immediately. As soon as you have gathered your information on the missing person, begin your search. Don’t put off your search for a lost or missing person. The sooner you start, the better your chances of finding the person will be.

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3
Pick up where you left off. If you were searching for a while and then stopped, don’t start over or start from scratch. Even if you hit a dead end, pick up where you left off in your search and continue from there.
4
Search the internet using a search engine. Use a popular search engine to begin your search, such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo. Type in details about the missing person such as their name, age, state (if known or suspected), and occupation. The University of Buffalo has a librarian curated list of the best search engines for web searches as well as for people searches.
5
Be persistent and search often. Just because you don’t turn up any results the first time you try to locate your lost or missing person does not mean you should give up. If you don’t find anything on your first try, try again in a few days and keep trying.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Searching Different Kinds of Websites for a Lost or Missing Person

1
Use a web genealogy service. Genealogy websites like Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org provide online access to records that can help you to build a family tree and find out about relatives you didn't know that you had. Some online genealogy services even provide DNA testing to complement your findings in the online databases.
- Consider using DNA testing services to enhance your search. DNA genealogy services have successfully reunited siblings as well as children with their parents. If the missing person is a blood relative of yours, a DNA genealogy service may help you locate the person. ^{[1]
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2
Search the records of local trade organizations. If you know the profession of your lost or missing loved one, search corresponding trade organizations' member databases. Using this method, you may be able to find out where the person works or at least narrow their location down to a city or region.
3
Search social networking sites. Visit popular social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and search for your missing friend or relative. Try searching for different variations of the person’s first and last name, first and middle name, and nicknames. ^{[2]
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4
Search the prison system. If you still cannot find any information on your lost friend or relative, consider searching the prison system. The Federal Bureau of Prisons website features an inmate locator tool that allows you to search for inmates in the United States by name. ^{[3]
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5
Use a people search website. Try searching for your missing friend or relative using people search websites like Pipl, Zabasearch, and YoName. ^{[5]
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6
Search court records. The Department of Motor Vehicles website has a court records search feature that may help you to locate a lost or missing person. You can easily search using the person’s name and select from a list of names and details that most closely resembles the person you are seeking.^{[8]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Online Databases to Find a Missing Person

1
Register with a missing persons website. Create an account with a missing persons database, such as NAMUS. NAMUS, also known as the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, is a United States government funded website that allows law enforcement professionals and the general public to add and track missing person cases. ^{[9]
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2
Add a missing person case. Include basic details as well as photos and more specific information about the missing person. Provide as much information as possible that might help strangers identify the person you are looking for. Consider how they might look now as opposed to when they went missing. ^{[11]
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Create missing person posters. NAMUS allows account holders to make and print missing persons posters. ^{[12]
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Research source} After you have created and printed some posters with information on your missing loved one, post and distribute these posters locally as well as in the areas where the person was last seen.
4
Check back often. Persistence is very important to finding lost or missing persons, so check your account daily and get involved in the website’s forums to connect with others who are going through the same thing as you are.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I find my mom I never met? I only have a first and last name and place of residence, I'm not sure if it was the birthplace.

MickieKayla_GVS

Community Answer

If you were abandoned/left with your father or other adult, you could ask them. If you're not comfortable with that, check ZabaSearch, WhitePages, or Google for their names. Since you have a place of residence, you can check RealEstate and see who owned the house/apartment around the time your mother lived or stayed there. Then you can track the owners down and get more info.Using ZabaSearch, you can run her first name and address through their database and hopefully find something. Warning, if it was a closed adoption, all her records are sealed.
Question

How can I find two uncles if I only know their full names and that they were born in the late 1940s?

MickieKayla_GVS

Community Answer

If they are deceased, you can check mortuaries for their records, orcheck a search engine for their obituaries. If they are still alive, or you found no record of their death, you could check nursing homes or generic or task-specific search engine.
Question

I've been looking for my daughter for a long time. She is in Idaho somewhere. I know her full name and the city in which she was last seen. What can I do?

MickieKayla_GVS

Community Answer

Try using the website ZabaSearch to find her address, email, even a phone number. If you want more detailed information, you may have to pay for that. Or you could hire a private detective to track her down.

Warnings

Beware of internet scams. Internet scammers often prey on people who seem vulnerable, so be cautious of any website or person who emails you. Learn to recognize the most common types of scams in order to protect yourself from identity theft and fraud.

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