Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Photos
Paulino Guzman III
Guzman, date, approximate 2015; Tai Cruz
Date Missing 12/12/2015
Missing From
Salinas, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
Hispanic
Date of Birth 02/02/1997 (25)
Age 18 years old
Height and Weight 5'10, 180 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description Gray basketball shorts, a sterling silver bracelet, a sterling silver chain necklace and cubic zirconia earrings.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic male. Black hair, brown eyes. Guzman may go by the first name Paul or the nickname Bubba. He has four dots and two bars tattooed under one eye and the letters "ES" tattooed under his other eye.
Details of Disappearance Guzman was last seen in Salinas, California on December 12, 2015. He was in good spirits at the time and had no apparent plans to leave town. He has never been heard from again.
In January 2017, Tai Agoun Cruz was arrested and charged with Guzman's murder. A photo of Cruz is posted with this summary. Investigators believe he shot Guzman to death at a party at Harden Ranch Apartments in the 2200 block of north Main Street.
After the shooting, everyone in the apartment fled.An attendee at the party called 911 anonymously, pretending to be a neighbor who had heard the shots. The police went to the apartment, but were unable to speak to anyone, did not actually go inside the apartment and did not see Guzman's remains.
The next day, the same party attendee and other people, including Cruz, returned to the apartment and cleaned it up, including tearing out the carpets. Guzman's body was placed in an opaque Rubbermaid-style plastic bin and taken away from the apartment in a small green vehicle. The torn-out carpet was left behind in bags, and blood samples from it matched Guzman's DNA.
The witness who'd called 911 later said he felt Guzman's killing was wrong, but feared retaliation from fellow gang members if he didn't help cover up the homicide. Guzman, Cruz and the witness were all members of the Salinas East Market faction of the Norteos gang.
In April 2019, Cruz pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The judge who sentenced him pleaded with him to reveal the whereabouts of Guzman's body, but Cruz just answered, "No comment."
Investigators have never found Guzman's remains in spite of extensive searches. Foul play is suspected in his due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
Salinas Police Department
831-775-4240
Other
California Attorney General's Office
The Californian
KION 5/46
Monterey County Weekly
Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Photos
