In this week’s “Missing in Houston,” we’re shining a light on the Texas Center for the Missing, an organization dedicated to supporting families in crisis across the state.
Mel Turnquist, CEO of Texas Center for the Missing, underscores the critical mission they serve, recounting the story behind the center’s founding.
“Back in 1999, Doreen Wise, a Houston-area business owner, her son went missing... law enforcement has to function in a triage capacity,” Turnquist shared, explaining how Texas Center for the Missing, originally called Gabriel’s Gifts Missing Children’s Organization, was born.
The center provides essential resources to families, including 24/7 case management services.
“We believe in a holistic approach of serving these searching families,” Turnquist explains. “As soon as a missing person is reported missing to law enforcement... our case manager will immediately reach out to the family and assess what services would best benefit the family.”
Their services extend beyond just fliers, including support for organizing media events and annual gatherings, such as the “Missing in Southeast Texas Day,” to assist families in DNA collection and create age-progressed images for long-term missing persons.
“Each year, we host an annual event called Missing in Southeast Texas Day, a one-stop shop at the Children’s Assessment Center,” Turnquist says. “It’s a really powerful, supportive environment for searching families to get all those resources in one place.”
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A common misconception that Turnquist addresses is the idea of a mandatory waiting period before reporting someone missing.
“There is no 24-hour waiting period in the state of Texas, nor has there ever been... if someone is missing, immediately call 911.”
She further explains the value of a recent headshot in quickly locating missing persons, clarifying that DNA is valuable yet serves as a “long-term investigative tool.”
For those wanting to assist, Turnquist encourages the community to support by sharing missing persons fliers online.
“So many missing folks are found through social media sharing,” she says, noting the impact of awareness in digital spaces.
The organization also welcomes volunteers and donations to aid in their operations, which include internet safety training and participating in child ID booths.
“We’re always looking for volunteers as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit here in Houston,” Turnquist explains. “We get very little public funding, so if you would like to support us through a contribution, we would love that. But as I said, we always are looking for internet safety trainers and people to help out at child ID booths, health fairs, and children’s carnivals.”
For more information or resources, you can visit Texas Center for the Missing’s website at centerforthemissing.org, where they offer a help button for families in need of immediate assistance.
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