This is frightening. You don't need to read this whole page. Just do these three things.
When you're ready, the rest of this page shows how friends and family can help.
Free, plain-language help for friends, family and community volunteers who want to share an official police appeal calmly and accurately.
Free. No sign-up or technical skills needed.
In BC, call 911 for emergency help. BC RCMP lists these examples: a missing child, an elderly or vulnerable person, immediate danger or medical risk, risk of self-harm or harm to others, or suspected foul play. They're examples, not a complete list: call 911 whenever you believe the person is in danger.
Not an emergency? Call your local police or visit a station or detachment. You can report to any police service in Canada; they'll pass it to the service that leads, usually where the person was last seen.
A Facebook post, volunteer form or AI chat is not a police report. Ask police to confirm your report was recorded, and how to send more information.
I'm concerned that [person's name] is missing. I last [saw / heard from] them at [known date, time and place]. I'm worried because [specific known reason]. There may be an immediate safety concern: [known concern, if any]. This part is what I observed myself: [known observation]. This part was told to me by someone else: [explain the distinction]. My name and callback number are [your details, directly to police].
In an emergency, follow the dispatcher's questions instead of reading the script. You don't need every answer to start a report.
Posting the wrong thing, even with the best intentions, can harm the search.
Only post what police have made public. Police sometimes keep details back on purpose, to help them tell real tips from false ones. Extra or out-of-date details can put the person at risk, or send people looking for the wrong person in the wrong place.
Send every tip to police, never to the comments. Police need tips fast and first-hand. Tips in comments can reach police late or not at all, spread rumours, and put innocent people in danger.
Keep private information private. No health details, addresses, family contacts, routines or private messages. The missing person has a right to privacy, and scammers target worried families.
Don't search, investigate or post where people are looking. Untrained searching can destroy evidence and put volunteers at risk. Police and Search and Rescue lead.
Wait for police before posting any outcome. "Located" doesn't mean "safe". A wrong update can make people stop looking.
Check the latest police release before every post, and fix or remove old posts right away.
Replace every [bracketed] part, then have a second person check it against the police wording. Leave out any line police haven't supplied or approved. Don't publish the brackets or invent a file number.
MISSING: [name exactly as made public by police] [Age and town only if authorized.] According to [police service], [exact current public last-seen wording]. Description from police: [exact current public description]. If you have information, contact [police service] at [official reporting number or other authorized route]. [Quote file number, if supplied.] In an emergency, call 911. Official appeal: [link] Updated: [date, time, time zone] This Page is run by [approved volunteer group name], not by police. Please do not post sightings, theories or private details in comments or messages. Send information directly to police. [Current campaign website, if used.]
Hi [name], [group name] is helping share the official public appeal, with [agreed liaison] coordinating with [police service]. We will use only the current authorized public information. Sightings and other tips should go directly to police at [reporting route]. In an emergency, call 911. If a photo or detail concerns you, please contact [liaison/contact route]. We will respond promptly and check with the liaison and police about what should be removed or changed. We will remove exposed private information from channels we control while addressing the concern.
I'm calling about the missing-person appeal for [public name]. [File number, if supplied.] My name is [caller's name], and my callback number is [number]. I have information: [what you directly saw or heard], at [date/time, including time zone if relevant], at [place]. I [did / did not] see this myself. [If second-hand, explain that without presenting it as direct observation.] Please tell me how to provide any original messages, photos or other material you need. Is there anything else you need from me?
If there's immediate danger, call 911 instead. Don't investigate the tip or post it online.
Thank you for wanting to help. Please send any information directly to [police service] at [official reporting route], not in the comments, so it reaches the right people and doesn't spread rumours. In an emergency, call 911.
UPDATE — THIS APPEAL IS NO LONGER ACTIVE [Optional exact police-confirmed line, if appropriate for republication.] Please stop sharing the earlier appeal and remove old posters and images. Thank you to everyone who helped. Updated: [date, time, time zone] [Official update link, if it remains public and is appropriate to share.]
Don't add “found safe,” a location, a cause of death or other details unless they're confirmed and appropriate to publish.
FOUND SAFE [Paste the entire exact approved short message.]
Use only after police confirm the person is safe and the family (or an appropriate contact) approves the exact message. No photo, surname, description or location. If wording isn't approved yet, use Template 5.
Tick off the 10 steps, log what you post and print, and mark where posters go so you can take them all down later. Open the checklist. It saves only on your device.
You don't need one. If you do, the website prompt maker writes the instructions for an AI site builder such as Manus. You type in the police-approved details, copy the result, and paste it in.
This update keeps the guide's plain-language approach while making several safety and clarity updates.
A 10-page step-by-step guide covering the first call, safe sharing, posters, privacy, updates and copy-ready posts. Choose the option that fits.
The PDF is free. If you would like to support more open resources, PayPal and Gumroad are optional.
10% of what I earn from the guide (after fees) goes to mothers in my area, as grants that never have to be paid back.
Found a confusing line, a broken link, or a practical improvement? Send a suggestion for the guide.
For urgent or new information about a missing person, contact police directly. In an emergency, call 911.
For new or urgent information, use the contact route in the current official police appeal. In an emergency, call 911.
Sources: Canada's Missing: Reporting · BC RCMP: Reporting a missing person · RCMP: Information for families of missing persons