The study will provide vital data on the incidence of missing children in eight categories: runaway/thrownaway, nonfamily abduction, family abduction, custodial interference, lost and involuntarily, missing due to injury, missing due to false alarm situations, and sexually assaulted. The first study took place in 1988, with results published in 1990. Researchers in the current study are surveying approximately 16,000 households by telephone to determine how many children are missing on an annual basis. They are also surveying approximately 8,000 youth in a related telephone survey to determine what happens during missing child episodes from the perspective of the children involved. Other data sources include interviews with law enforcement officers and directors of residential facilities and institutions for youth; also analyzing data on thrownaway children from a related survey of community professionals. Data collection ended in late 1999; analyses will take place in 2000. The study aims to benefit both policymakers and practitioners in their efforts to address missing children’s issues. Photographs of missing children, description of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and 8 references