Some viral social media posts in recent days claim D.C. is seeing a dramatic spike in cases involving missing women. Some claim dozens of new cases have been seen in just a matter of days and that the cases are not getting the attention they deserve.
Advocates for the missing and D.C. police said those viral posts are unfortunately spreading misinformation.
Henderson Long is the CEO of D.C.’s Missing Voice, Inc., which helps the families of the missing by getting the word out about their disappearance. He said he has seen several videos making the rounds.
“When you say 80 girls have gone missing and you say 90 people have gone missing in one day, that’s a lie,” Long said.
Long said some of the videos and photos being posted online show missing adults and children who were found years ago.
“I welcome the exposure, but what I don’t welcome is the misinformation. That’s the thing that really can cause a lot of concern within the community,” Long said.
According to Long, the misinformation doesn’t help because attention is taken away from those who are actually missing.
According to D.C. police, the department closed 99% of its missing persons cases in 2024. It also said the department, on average, sees five critical missing person cases each day.
The department’s online dashboard for missing persons cases shows the city has received 1,291 reports from people looking for loved ones who have gone missing. As of June 20, all but 45 of those cases have been closed.
Long praised the department for its social media feeds and online portal, which quickly posts missing persons’ information.
He said his organization removes the posts of those who have been found, to not only try and prevent the images from resurfacing but also protect those who were missing, especially the children.
“Sometimes, they left home for a reason, and you don’t want the wrong person to see that they’re back home or that they’ve been found,” Long said.
He recommended others who share posts about missing people don’t immediately assume it’s legit; a quick search of a police department’s website or social media feeds can help confirm the post. Also, he said many organizations, such as his, can also be leaned on for accurate information.
Long said with the recent false posts, some are sharing the videos and tagging celebrities before verifying the information, which is not a good thing.
“Once they get involved, that’s it. It’s all over. It’s everywhere,” Long said.
Also, when a person is found, he recommended the people who made posts with that information take down the post and just provide a general update letting those who may have seen the post know the person has been found.
“Once they’re found, we delete the photo, we delete the flyer, we delete everything, except for the age and maybe race and city,” Long said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
