The Woman with Autism Who Built a Renowned Database of Missing People (2024)

There are about 100,000 active missing persons cases in the U.S. at any given time. With the exception of high-profile Natalee Holloway-esque cases— luridly tragic instances of kidnapping that capture national interest—most people who go missing do so without much more than a blurb in a local newspaper. Meaghan Good’s personal mission is to remind us that these people existed. She’s the founder and sole writer and researcher of The Charley Project, which has nearly 10,000 files and bills itself as “one of the largest and most detailed online databases of American missing persons cold cases.”

There is something specifically haunting about missing persons cases—a forced unfinishedness that cuts to the core of some of our worst fears. Good has spent her entire adult life so far working to bring closure to at least some of these stories. She first became interested in these cases at around age 12, when she stumbled across the site for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children while using school computers.

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The amount of time Good has spent working on the database is now longer than the lifespan of most people’s office jobs. Good founded The Charley Project—named after Charley Ross, the victim of one of the first highly-publicized kidnappings in the US—in 2004 when she was just 19 years old, and has worked on it almost every day since. Now 31, she continues to work on the database described as a “publicity vehicle” for the missing, which continues to attract interest—especially from people fascinated by true crime (Good says 1,000 more people per day have started visiting the site over the past year).

The Woman with Autism Who Built a Renowned Database of Missing People (1)

“I got sucked into the stories and pictures and posters, and I was kind of obsessed after that,” Good says. “I was wondering about their lives and what had happened to them. I have high-functioning autism, although I didn’t know that at the time, and one of the features of autism is that you have a couple of really, really obsessive interests in some narrow, really defined topics. Autism is a pain in the neck, and I wish I didn’t have it, but I wouldn’t be able to run The Charley Project without it.”

Good also has bipolar disorder, which in combination with autism, makes it difficult for her to work a normal job. While she mentions on multiple occasions that she wishes she weren’t dealing with these mental health issues, she notes that they make her uniquely suited to bring commitment and empathy to the stories of missing people—and often serve as a connecting link to their cases. “There are so many people on my site who’ve got mental illnesses, and the kids on my site, the ones who disappear and they’re living in unfortunate situations, a lot of times mental illness in the family is to blame,” she says. Good tries to paint as full a picture as possible, writing journalistically with words that evoke a scene; details are included in such a way that lets visitors read between the lines. The resulting reports are often more detailed than those of government agencies.

One example is her report on Robin Lynn Vansickel, a 29-year-old woman who went missing in Anchorage, Alaska in 1988. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System’s sparse description lists her as “a dancer in Anchorage, Alaska. [Vansickel] was last seen sometime in 1988 (the date of her disappearance) is an approximation) and has never been heard from again.” Good’s report, in comparison, includes the name of the strip club Vansickel was said to have worked at, as well as the fact that she was caught up in a drug bust shortly before her disappearance.

Read more: The Hidden Struggle of Working Women with Autism

When you search the news for “The Charley Project,” you find local articles from places like WYFF Greenville and PennLive.com, where Good’s reports are cited to describe reopened cold cases. The database has even helped identify a couple of bodies who were previously John Does, like in the case of a man who disappeared in Texas in 2004. The man wasn’t taking his prescribed medication and abandoned his car on the interstate with the engine running and all the doors open. Two days later, he turned up two states away in Arizona, and died when he was run over by a truck. Because he had no ID, he was listed as a John Doe for the next 10 years.

“Somebody who was looking at the John Does in Arizona and missing persons on the Charley Project—an Irish woman, actually—she realized that this John Doe who disappeared in Arizona just two days after the guy in Texas was wearing the same crucifix necklace as the guy in Texas,” Good says. “So his family finally got him back, and it wasn’t a happy ending, but it was happier than it could have been. At least they learned he wasn’t murdered and didn’t suffer horribly. It was an ending, and any ending is better than nothing at all.”

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Good gives no indications of tiring from the work she does with The Charley Project, and fears that even if she wanted to stop, few people would be able to devote the attention required to stay on top of the hundreds of new cases in her backlog. The site accepts donations, but Good isn’t paid to do the work that she does. “It doesn’t pay or really support itself. It’s what I do to justify my existence,” she said, explaining that by providing a way for her to use her talents to help people, the database gives her a sense of purpose.

“When you really think about it, imagine how unlikely it is that you exist on this planet,” she said. “I think you owe the world when you’re born to try to make the world a slightly better place than it was before you were born.”

The Woman with Autism Who Built a Renowned Database of Missing People (2024)

FAQs

The Woman with Autism Who Built a Renowned Database of Missing People? ›

Meaghan Good's personal mission is to remind us that these people existed. She's the founder and sole writer and researcher of The Charley Project, which has nearly 10,000 files and bills itself as “one of the largest and most detailed online databases of American missing persons cold cases.”

What is the missing person database? ›

NamUs provides investigators and loved ones a powerful online system that offers hands-on access to a national database of records related to missing and unidentified persons.

How many missing people are never found? ›

It's estimated that around 630,000 people are reported missing each year. Most are eventually located. Around 90,000 a year are never found.

What organization looks for missing people? ›

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) is a national centralized repository and resource center for missing, unidentified, and unclaimed person cases across the United States.

What is the longest missing person ever found? ›

Lula Cora Hood was missing for 41 years, and presumed dead for 15 year, before she was found alive and well in Florida. In 1984, 24-year-old Petra Pazsitka went missing. She was presumed dead only 5 years later. In 2015, after 31 years, Petra was found alive in Dusseldorf after she reported a burglary in her home.

Has anyone on Disappeared been found? ›

Some were found 47'd, others were found having a new life and others well have not been found. The whole quality of the show was awesome and engaging. You felt for the families and victims. Thoughout you get to make guesses of what may have happened and sometimes I was right.

Where do people go missing the most? ›

The Alaska Triangle

According to official numbers, the Alaska Triangle has a missing persons rate that is double the USA national average. While there is no one reason this area claims so many disappearances, the harsh conditions and remote access make search and rescue efforts extremely difficult.

What happens if a missing person is never found? ›

In most common law jurisdictions, a missing person can be declared dead in absentia (or "legally dead") after seven years.

What is the highest number of disappearances in the world? ›

United States. The United States has what may be the world's highest number of missing persons. According to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person and Unidentified Person Files for the 2021 operational year, 521,705 people were reported missing in 2021.

What branch of the FBI deals with missing persons? ›

In a missing person case, as a matter of cooperation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will, at the request of a state or local law enforcement agency, make available the facilities of the FBI Identification Division and the FBI Laboratory.

What percentage of missing persons are black? ›

2023 STATISTICS FOR THE UNITED STATES *

40 PERCENT OF MISSING PERSONS ARE PERSONS OF COLOR, YET AFRICAN-AMERICANS MAKE UP ONLY 13 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION.

How can AI find missing people? ›

By utilizing vast databases of facial images and employing deep learning algorithms, AI systems can compare and match the facial features of missing individuals with available images from diverse sources such as surveillance cameras, social media platforms, and public databases.

What is ncic missing person? ›

The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) missing and unidentified persons files are designed to provide information about the identification of burned, decomposed, and skeletonized remains and other unidentified dead and living persons; the linkage of body parts recovered by multiple agencies; and the ...

What is the primary purpose of the NamUs system? ›

NamUs provides direct analytical support for missing, unidentified, and unclaimed cases by conducting queries of both public and criminal justice databases, as well as other non-governmental data sources.

What are two primary databases within the NamUs system? ›

Two primary federal databases supported by DOJ—NCIC and NamUs—contain data related to missing and unidentified persons to help solve these cases. NCIC contains criminal justice information accessed by authorized agencies to assist with daily investigations.

Is there a database for missing persons in national parks? ›

There is no comprehensive roster of all persons who have gone missing across the National Park System. Part of the reason is that the Park Service might not be the lead agency in looking for someone reported missing.

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