I work with missing children. I have discovered a terrifying truth.

Missing children are often the subject of news. <br>A typical missing persons case is handled as follows: The parents are questioned first to rule out filicide. This is the first step in almost every case. <br>If the parents have solid alibis, and the interview is clean, they move on to the friends, and then the rest of the family. <br>If everyone is cleared, then it’s time for an amber alert. <br>At that point, local, state, and federal resources will be looking for the child. <br>The police will try to find surveillance footage of the abductor, and they will canvass the neighborhood, talking to anyone who might have witnessed something, and gather any remaining evidence. <br>If an amber alert fails to produce a lead, the police will turn to the public. <br>The media will be called in to publicize the missing child. <br>This is an attempt to get as many eyes as possible on the case, and typically produces tips that the police will follow. <br>Sometimes the tips are bullshit. <br>Sometimes they are good. <br>That brings me to my point. <br>I have been a tipped examiner for two years now. <br>I have seen a lot of shit in my time. <br>But the most disturbing and unexplainable tips are the “missing” people who aren’t actually missing. <br>Most of the time these tips are bullshit. <br>But sometimes it’s the missing person themselves who contact us. <br>They say things like “I know you’re looking for me, but I’m okay. I’m happy now. <br>Please stop looking for me.” <br>The first time I encountered one of these calls, <br>I thought that the person had been kidnapped, <br>Coaxed into saying what they were saying, <br>At gunpoint, with a knife to their back, <br>Or in front of a gun filled with a happy bullet. <br>But when we went out to investigate, <br>There was no one there. <br>No sign of struggle. <br>No sign that anyone else was even there. <br>I still couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being coerced. <br>But I am no longer sure of that. <br>I have spoken with many people who should be dead, <br>But aren’t. <br>These people genuinely seem content with their lives. <br>Almost euphoric. <br>And all the missing persons, who aren’t actually missing, all have the same answer for us. <br>They say, “I’m home now. <br>I couldn’t be happier.” <br>I don’t know where they are, <br>But I no longer think that they are being held against their will. <br>I believe that wherever they are, it’s where they want to be.