I Lost a Baby, and When I Got Him Back He Was a Toddler

The child was returned thanks in large part to a national clearinghouse that employs the latest technology to locate missing kids

Each year more than three-quarters of a million children under age 18 disappear. Some are runaways, some are abducted by a non-custodial parent, others are kidnapped by strangers. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a nonprofit agency in Arlington, Virginia, now employs the latest technology in locating missing children. Using high-end computers for age-progressed photographs, nationwide data banks, high-resolution faxes and more, NCMEC is a communication-coordination hub that puts computer technology to work in helping to solve a major social problem.

Get the latest Travel & Culture stories in your inbox.