Camden County Police Work To Tackle Rise In Missing Persons Cases
By Cherri Gregg
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) - The number of juvenile missing persons cases is on the rise in Camden, jumping more than 20-percent in the past year.
The calls trickle in -- some times they come in groups -- as many as two or three in one night...
"My son...my daughter didn't make curfew...they met someone on social media...they've runaway yet again."
"Typically, it's runaways -- go be with boyfriend, girlfriend. Just having problems at home," explains Camden County Police Captain Greg Carlin:
Carlin says Camden reported about 509 missing persons last year. They've investigated 400 this year so far, with three out of four under age 17:
"Often times they're out there using drugs, selling drugs, often time it's involving prostitution."
Carlin says most missing persons are found, so why the runaway problem?
"Per capita, we have the highest rate of single family households in the United States."
Carlin says if your child goes missing, check their social media accounts, then call police.