36 Years Lost: Why Sacramento's New Missing Persons Event Matters Now

Imagine waiting 36 years for answers about someone you love. That’s what Rosemary Southward and her family endured after her brother, James Norris, vanished in 1974. He left his dog with them, said he was taking a trip, and simply never came back. For more than three decades, they lived in limbo—not knowing if he was alive, where he’d gone, or what had happened to him. It wasn’t until advances in DNA technology and better data-sharing between agencies finally helped crack his cold case.

But Rosemary didn’t want her story to be the blueprint for other families. That’s precisely why the Find CA Missing event, hosted by California’s Department of Justice on the Sacramento State University campus this past Saturday, exists.

The numbers are staggering. California has approximately 23,000 active missing person cases and roughly 3,500 unidentified deceased remains cases throughout the state. That’s not just a statistic—it’s thousands of families navigating a system that can feel byzantine and forgotten. At Find CA Missing, law enforcement agencies and missing persons advocacy groups gather under one roof to help families add missing persons cases to databases with photos, dental records, military records, and DNA samples. Megan Eschleman of the California DOJ points out a critical reality: when families first file a missing persons report, they’re in shock. They don’t always know what information matters. They don’t always think of everything they should say. Events like this give families a second chance to ensure their loved ones’cases have everything they need to be found.

Rosemary’s wisdom echoes through the work being done here:“Since I’ve been in the shoes of the families that are out of hope, they don’t know how the system works. They might just feel that their case is forgotten.”That’s the gap Find CA Missing aims to close—reminding families that their cases aren’t abandoned, that resources exist, and that hope isn’t naive.

If you missed the event, the California Department of Justice website offers resources and guidance for families of missing persons. Because no family should have to wait 36 years for answers when help is available now.