National Missing Children’s Day 2025
The FBI reaffirms its year-round commitment to reuniting missing and kidnapped children with their families
Help us bring them home
On September 23, 2024, 13-year-old Stefanie Damron stepped out of her home and walked into the nearby woods in New Sweden, Maine. It was the last time anyone saw her. The next day, her parents filed a missing person report.
The FBI immediately responded to assist the Maine State Police. The FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment—or CARD team—went to work. Since then, investigators have conducted dozens of interviews and followed up on leads in Maine, across the country, and even in Canada.
But despite extensive investigative efforts, including a neighborhood canvas and video search, along with an expansive grid search using canines from the Maine Warden Service and Maine State Police, Stefanie is still missing ...
Stefanie is one of dozens of missing children the FBI is working to bring home. Each year on May 25—National Missing Children's Day—we reaffirm our commitment to investigating these cases and finding children who have been reported kidnapped or missing, and we continue to encourage parents, caregivers, and others to make child safety a priority.
"Stefanie's family desperately wants to know where she is, and we are fully committed to helping our law enforcement partners exhaust every investigative resource to find her and bring her home," said FBI Boston Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kimberly Milka during a December 2024 press conference.
The FBI’s Kidnappings and Missing Persons list includes entries for Stefanie and other missing children. If you recognize Stefanie or any of these kids, or if you have any information about a case, please contact the FBI or local law enforcement or submit a tip online.
"We are confident someone has information about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Stefanie Damron, and we're hoping the $15,000 reward the FBI is offering will incentivize anyone with information to do the right thing and contact us," said FBI Boston Special Agent Jose Rodriguez Aguilar. "No amount of information is too small. We're not going to give up until we find her."
If your child goes missing ...
- Do not wait to report a missing child.
- Call your local FBI field office or the closest international office. You can also contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST.
- If your child is being abducted internationally by a family member and is not yet abroad, contact the U.S. Department of State.
Download the FBI’s Child ID app so if your child goes missing, you can quickly share key information with authorities to help find them. The free app also includes tips on keeping children safe.
How the FBI supports missing children cases
The FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) teams are composed of experienced personnel with a proven track record in crimes against children investigations, especially cases where a child has been abducted by someone other than a family member.
CARD team members provide on-the-ground investigative, technical, and resource assistance to state and local law enforcement. The teams work closely with representatives from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime coordinators, and child exploitation task force members.
The FBI's Child Victim Services program within the Victim Services Division provides support to child victims, the families of child victims, and witnesses of federal crimes. The team is focused on ensuring that any interactions with child victims or witnesses are tailored to the child's stage of development and minimize any additional trauma to the child. In addition, they connect children and families to other resources to support their health and well-being through difficult times.
Note: The children listed here may have been located since this information was posted. Please check our Kidnappings and Missing Persons page for up-to-date information.
Inside the FBI Podcast episodes and stories
These Inside the FBI podcast episodes and stories highlight how the FBI investigates missing children cases and supports child victims.
Podcast episodes
- FBI's Endangered Child Alert Program
- My Mission Miniseries: Katie Connell, Child and Adolescent Forensic Interviewer
- What Happened to Karla Rodriguez?
- Searching for Joshua Garcia
- Searching for Steven Kraft
- Searching for Asha Degree
- FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team
- Missing Children Feature: 2022
- Missing Children Feature: 2021
Stories
