Gone Missing: Who are they? Who's trying to find them?

The missing can be anybody! A family member, friend, colleague. Did they leave on their own? Were they kidnapped? Did something else happen to them? Unfortunately for some, those answers may never be known.

A prominent one, currently, is New Canaan mother-of-five, Jennifer Farber Dulos. But go back more than 47 years, and there was 7-year-old Janice Pockett from Tolland, CT. In between, there was 10-year-old Bianca Lebron, and now there’s 1-year-old Vanessa Morales from Ansonia, CT. These are just a few of the people who have gone missing without a trace over the years in Connecticut who received lots of notoriety.

However, there are many more who have gone missing and still go missing without notable publicity.

Former Fairfield Police Chief and now Director of Public Safety at Sacred Heart University Gary MacNamara says circumstances dictate where attention is focused in such cases He cited the Dulos case that included not only a missing person but the addition of an apparent crime scene which adds urgency to it.

WATCH: Newington Police Chief Stephen Clark explains that the way missing person reports are handled may differ depending on if it’s an adult or child, but every report is taken seriously.

The number of children that go missing every year is staggering, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Presently, there are 32 Connecticut individuals listed on the website. Some of those listed are children, but some who were reported missing when they were younger would now be adults.

And every day, the Connecticut State Police issue Silver Alerts on missing people. Many are runaway teens or elderly people who have wandered off. Chief Clark says the belief that you must wait until a person is missing for 24 hours before reporting it to the police is a myth.

Who Are They?

Janice Pockett was riding her bike near her home in Tolland when she vanished in July 1973. Today, a bench is at the site where her bike was found.

Bianca Lebron got into a vehicle at school that some say they thought her uncle was driving and was never seen again.

Vanessa Morales has been missing since her mother was found killed in November 2019. Her father is facing charges in connection with her mother’s death but Vanessa’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Jennifer Farber Dulos went missing in May 2019. Her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, was charged with her murder. He died after a suicide attempt in January 2020. The investigation is ongoing.

Despite the murder charge, Jennifer has not yet been declared dead and remains missing. A hearing on whether to declare her deceased is now scheduled in probate court in April 2021.

Who’s trying to find them?

There are ways to get the word out about missing people – NCIS, silver alerts, and amber alerts, to name a few.

For those not so high on the law enforcement priority list, it may be up to families to put out posters and postings on social media.

Across the country, countless numbers of people go missing every day. You can visit these websites to see information and pictures of those individuals: