The impact of missing persons can be life-changing for families, friends and communities. 

If you believe someone in Halton region is missing, please call the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) immediately. Your report will be taken seriously, and the investigation will start without delay.

The HRPS is committed to ensuring that every report of a missing person is addressed in a timely and sensitive manner. 

How to report a person as missing

*There is no 24-hour waiting period to report someone missing. Anyone can report a missing person. *

If you are concerned for a missing person's immediate safety, please call 9-1-1 immediately.

If you do not believe the missing person to be in imminent danger, call our non-emergency number at 905-825-4777.

When you report a person missing, investigators will ask you for:

 Information about the missing person
Finding the missing person safe and well is our primary concern. To guide the investigation and to help locate the missing person, an officer will ask questions about:
  • their physical description (including what they were wearing at the time they went missing);
  • when and where they were last seen;
  • any vehicle that they may be driving;
  • where they work and live;
  • their physical and mental health or emotional state; and
  • any other information that might be needed to aid our investigators.
 Photos of the missing person

You or the missing person's family will be asked to provide a photograph of the missing person. The photograph may be used in a media release, social media posts and shared with the media to bring attention to the missing person.

Please note that the public release of the photograph will occur only after consideration has been given to privacy concerns, the safety of the missing person, and investigation requirements.

When a missing person is located, their photograph will be removed from the HRPS website and social media platforms and a request will be made to media to do the same.

How to assist in locating a missing person

If you have any information about a missing person, please call the HRPS non-emergency number: 905-825-4777, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) to submit information anonymously.

You can also assist the investigation by:

  • checking with family members and friends of the missing person to make sure they have not made other arrangements;
  • checking with local hospitals;
  • checking with the school/employer of the missing person;
  • checking places that the person frequents;
  • checking their social media accounts and those of their friends and associates;
  • updating the police if you obtain new information that could assist the investigation; and
  • calling police at 905-825-4777 if you have located the missing person.

Support for family and friends

Resources are available to help you navigate the impacts of a person in your life being missing:

Missing Persons Act Form 7

On July 1, 2019, the Missing Persons Act of Ontario came in effect. This legislation gives police officers the lawful authority to make an urgent demand for personal information that would assist in locating the missing person. Examples of this would include banking records, debit or credit card use, and cellular phone use. The legislation includes a mandatory reporting obligation for all police services. Each Service must complete and submit an annual report to the Province on the total number of demand for records made, broken down into subcategories of types of information by June 1 of each year. The report must also be posted on a website that is accessible to the public.

Read the 2023 Halton Regional Police Service Missing Persons Act Form 7.  

Please note that the content of the PDF can be provided in an accessible format upon request.

 

For information about open missing person cases in Halton region, visit our Open Missing Persons Cases page.