Response and Investigation (Missing Person Investigations)

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Definitions

BC Police Missing Persons Centre (BCPMPC): A provincial force unit that provides guidance and support to all police in the province for missing person investigations, and coordinates and supports unidentified human remains investigations.

Family Liaison: A police officer responsible for communication with the family or other relevant persons during a missing person investigation.

High-Risk Missing Person Investigation: A Missing Person investigation in which the missing person’s health or wellbeing may be in immediate danger due to:

(a) Their own vulnerability (e.g., the very young and very old, persons with physical illness, disability, addictions or mental health concerns, persons who may be suicidal and persons involved in activities that may place them at increased risk of harm);
(b) Being part of an identifiable group that is at an increased risk of harm;
(c) The weather or physical conditions where the Missing Person is believed to be; or
(d) Reasonable grounds to believe they may be the victim of a crime.

Missing Person: Anyone reported to police or by police as someone whose whereabouts are unknown, whatever the circumstances of their disappearance, and who are considered missing until located.

Missing Person Coordinator: The police officer designated as responsible for oversight and support functions for the police service’s Missing Person investigations, including those functions listed in Standard (1) of 5.1.4 File Review and Monitoring (PDF, 133.6KB) of these BC Provincial Policing Standards.

National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains (NCMPUR): A federal program within the National Police Services which provides specialized investigative services to law enforcement, medical examiners and chief coroners to support Missing Persons and unidentified remains investigations on a national level.

Provincial Missing Person Intake Form: The PRIME-BC Missing Person Details Page and all available and relevant CPIC fields.

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Standards

Investigative steps

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must ensure that:

(1) All investigative steps are documented in the case file, including steps that: 

(a) Were taken but failed to advance the investigation; and
(b) Were considered but determined not to be appropriate or relevant given the circumstances of the case.

(2) A checklist of initial investigative steps to be taken in a Missing Person investigation is made available to all police officers, which includes, at minimum:

(a) Interview relevant persons, which may include the reportee, witnesses, friends and family members of the Missing Person and the person who last saw or had contact with the Missing Person;
(b) Determine:

(i) Where and when the Missing Person was last seen or last known to be;
(ii) Whether it is out of character for the person to go missing;
(iii) Possible reason(s) why the person may have gone missing; and 
(iv) Possible destination or location(s) where the Missing Person may be found.

(c) Ensure that the initial risk assessment and the Provincial Missing Person Intake Form are completed;
(d) Conduct a search of relevant locations, which may include the Missing Person’s residence, point last seen and/or point last known, possible destination(s) or other locations the police officer considers relevant, obtaining consent or authority to conduct the search as required;
(e) Obtain a detailed description and photograph of the Missing Person (see also Standard (6) of BCPPS 5.1.5 Family Members and Reportees (PDF, 125KB));
(f) Conduct checks for the Missing Person on CPIC, PRIME or other police information systems;
(g) If the Missing Person is Indigenous, notify an Indigenous Liaison Officer or the Missing Person Coordinator;
(h) Provide the family and/or reportee of the Missing Person with information about:

(i) Support services available;
(ii) The investigative process;
(iii) Actions they may take or information they may seek or provide to assist the investigation;
(iv) Information to assist them in dealing with the media;
(v) The file number for the investigation; and
(vi) The name and contact information of the Family Liaison.

(i) A requirement to consider:

(i) Issuing a BOLO and/or Assistance to Locate bulletin;
(ii) Whether the criteria for issuing an AMBER Alert are met;
(iii) Conducting neighbourhood enquiries and/or a video canvass;
(iv) Securing physical evidence (e.g., surveillance footage, computers, electronic devices and their passwords, bank records, phone records, etc.), biological evidence (e.g., personal items of the Missing Person that may contain a biological sample, familial biological samples), or medical or dental  records, obtaining consent or authority to secure the evidence as required;
(v) Requesting assistance from other police service;
(vi) Requesting assistance from other agencies (e.g., child protection authorities, taxi companies, public transit authorities, airport authorities, Canada Border Services Agency, Department of Homeland Security, towing companies, etc.);
(vii) Whether the case should be profiled on the police service’s website, social media platform(s) and/or the NCMPUR’s Canada’s Missing website;
(viii) Involving the media;

(j) Any other step that may assist in the investigation.

Responsibility for ongoing investigation

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must ensure that:

(3) All open investigations have an active lead investigator who is responsible for the investigation.

(4) When all initial investigative steps have been exhausted, a supervisor or the Missing Person Coordinator determines:

(a) Responsibility for ongoing investigation;
(b) The level of resources needed and the need for special resources; and
(c) Diary dates.

Evidence

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must ensure that:

(5) The items listed below in (i) – (v) below are requested:

(a) As soon as possible if the Missing Person is presumed dead or foul play is suspected; or
(b) Within 30 days of the initial report.

(i) A personal item used by the Missing Person that may provide a biological sample (e.g., a toothbrush or hairbrush);
(ii) Familial biological sample(s);
(iii) Medical records;
(iv) Dental records; and
(v) Fingerprints.

(6) Further to Standard (5) above, if foul play is suspected or cannot be ruled out, an additional personal item and familial biological sample referred to in Standard (5) are obtained.

Provincial Dental Data Bank

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must ensure that:

(6.1) If a person remains missing for more than 90 days from the initial report, or if foul play is suspected, any dental records obtained must be submitted to the NCO i/c Unidentified Human Remains Unit, RCMP “E” Division for entry into the Provincial Dental Databank.

BC Coroners Service

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must ensure that:

(7) The BC Coroners Service Missing Persons Query (MPQ) form is completed as soon as possible for any investigation where the Missing Person is presumed dead, and forwarded to the BCPMPC Unidentified Human Remains Unit.

Information systems

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must ensure that:

(8) The police service of jurisdiction is responsible for ensuring that:

(a) The Missing Person is entered on CPIC as a Missing Person;
(b) The entry includes completion of all relevant fields currently available on CPIC, including biological and cultural affinity, if known;
(c) The CPIC entry is updated as appropriate; and
(d) The designation is not removed from CPIC until the police investigation is concluded (see also BCPPS 5.1.6 Concluding a Missing Person Investigation (PDF, 125.5KB)).

(9) The police service of jurisdiction is responsible for ensuring that the Missing Person is entered on PRIME, and that the entry is updated as appropriate until the police investigation is concluded (see also BCPPS 5.1.6 Concluding a Missing Person Investigation (PDF, 125.5KB)).

(10) If a Missing Person investigation is at any time determined to be a High-Risk Missing Person Investigation, the file is scored as a High-Risk Missing Person Investigation in PRIME.

(11) If foul play is suspected, a ViCLAS booklet is completed and submitted within 30 days, and updated in accordance with ViCLAS standards.

(12) Where the investigator considers appropriate and consistent with NCMPUR criteria, a profile of the Missing Person is forwarded to the NCMPUR for inclusion on the Canada’s Missing website.

Policies and procedures

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must ensure that:

(13) Policies and procedures regarding Missing Persons are consistent with these BC Provincial Policing Standards.

Appendix

• Appendix “A” for BCPPS 5.1.3 – Response and Investigation (PDF, 227KB)