MISSING CHILDREN

RSA tit. XII, ch. 169-E

in effect

RSA 169-E:1 Definition.

169-E:1. Definition. For the purposes of this chapter "missing child" means any person under the age of 18 years missing from his or her normal and ordinary place of residence and whose whereabouts cannot be determined by a person responsible for the child's care. Source. 1985, 318:3, eff. July 1, 1985. 2020, 26:46, eff. Sept. 18, 2020.

RSA 169-E:2 Report.

169-E:2. Report. When a law enforcement agency in this state that has jurisdiction in the matter is informed that a minor is or may be a missing child and that the person providing the information wishes to file a missing child report, the law enforcement agency shall take that report from the child's parents, custodial parent, guardian, legal custodian or any other person responsible for the missing child. Upon taking the report, the law enforcement agency shall take reasonable and appropriate action to locate the missing child. No law enforcement agency in this state shall have a rule or policy that prohibits or discourages the filing of or the taking of action upon a missing child report, within a specified period following the discovery or formulations of a belief that a minor is or could be a missing child. Source. 1985, 318:3, eff. July 1, 1985.

RSA 169-E:2-a Hotline for Missing Children; Rulemaking.

169-E:2-a. Hotline for Missing Children; Rulemaking. There is hereby established a toll-free statewide hotline for the purpose of reporting information on missing children. This hotline shall have its terminus at the central communication section of the New Hampshire division of state police. The director of the division of state police shall adopt rules under RSA 541-A relative to its administration and operation. Source. 1987, 21:1, eff. June 6, 1987.

RSA 169-E:3 Procedure.

169-E:3. Procedure. I. If a missing child report is made to a law enforcement agency in this state that has jurisdiction in the matter, the law enforcement agency shall gather readily available information about the missing child and integrate it into the national crime information center computer within 12 hours following the making of the report, unless extraordinary circumstances cause a delay. The law enforcement agency shall make reasonable efforts to acquire additional information about the missing child following the transmittal of the initially available information, and promptly integrate any additional information acquired into such computer system. II. The parents, custodial parent, guardian, legal custodian, or other person responsible for the missing child shall provide available information upon request, and may provide information voluntarily, to the law enforcement agency during the information gathering process. The law enforcement agency also may obtain available information about the missing child from other persons, subject to constitutional and statutory limitations. III. Upon the filing of a missing child report, the law enforcement agency involved promptly shall make a reasonable attempt to notify other law enforcement agencies within its county and, if the agency has jurisdiction in a city, town, or unorganized or unincorporated place that borders another county, to notify the law enforcement agency for the city, town, or unorganized or unincorporated place in the other county with which it shares the border, that it has taken a missing child report and may be requesting assistance or cooperation in the case, and provide relevant information to the other law enforcement agencies. The agency may notify additional law enforcement agencies and appropriate county providers of human services exercising children services functions, about the case, request their assistance or cooperation in the case, and provide them with relevant information. IV. Upon request from a law enforcement agency, a county provider of human services exercising children services functions shall grant the law enforcement agency access to all information concerning a missing child that the provider possesses that may be relevant to the law enforcement agency in investigating a missing child report concerning that child. The information obtained by the law enforcement agency shall only be used to further the investigation to locate the missing child. Source. 1985, 318:3, eff. July 1, 1985.

RSA 169-E:4 Cooperation With Other Agencies.

169-E:4. Cooperation With Other Agencies. I. Upon request, law enforcement agencies in this state shall cooperate with other law enforcement agencies in their investigations of missing child cases. II. The information in any missing child report made to a law enforcement agency shall be made available, upon request, to law enforcement personnel of this state, other states, and the federal government when the law enforcement personnel indicate that the request is to aid in identifying or locating a missing child or the possible identification of a deceased minor who, upon discovery, cannot be identified. Source. 1985, 318:3, eff. July 1, 1985.

RSA 169-E:5 Dental Records.

169-E:5. Dental Records. When a missing child has not been located within 30 days after the date on which his missing child report was filed with a law enforcement agency, that law enforcement agency shall request the missing child's parents, custodial parent, guardian, or legal custodian, or any other person responsible for the missing child, to provide written consent for the law enforcement agency to contact the missing child's dentist and request the missing child's dental records. Upon receipt of such written consent, the dentist shall release a copy of the missing child's dental records to the law enforcement agency and shall provide and encode the records in such form as requested by the law enforcement agency. The law enforcement agency shall then integrate information in the records into the national crime information center computer in order to compare the records to those of unidentified deceased persons. This section shall not prevent a law enforcement agency from seeking consent to obtain copies of a missing child's dental records, or prevent a missing child's parents, custodial parent, guardian, or legal custodian, or any other person responsible for the missing child, from granting consent for the release of copies of the missing child's dental records to a law enforcement agency, at any time. Source. 1985, 318:3, eff. July 1, 1985.

RSA 169-E:6 Recovery of Child.

169-E:6. Recovery of Child. A missing child's parents, custodial parent, guardian, or legal custodian, or any other person responsible for a missing child, shall immediately notify the law enforcement agency with which they filed the missing child report whenever the child has returned to their home or to their care, custody, and control, has been released if he was the victim of an offense under RSA 633, or has otherwise been located. Upon such notification or upon otherwise learning that a missing child has returned to the home of, or to the care, custody, and control of his parents, custodial parent, guardian, or legal custodian, or other person responsible for him, or has been released if he was the victim of an offense under RSA 633, or otherwise has been located, the law enforcement agency involved shall promptly integrate the fact that the minor is no longer a missing child into the national crime information center computer. Source. 1985, 318:3, eff. July 1, 1985.

RSA 169-E:7 Cooperation With United States Attorney General.

169-E:7. Cooperation With United States Attorney General. Law enforcement agencies in this state shall cooperate fully with the United States Attorney General in the collection of information that would assist in the identification of unidentified deceased persons and information that would assist in the location of missing persons under the "Federal Missing Children Act of 1982," 28 U.S.C.A. § 534, as amended. Law enforcement agencies in this state that are investigating missing children cases shall utilize the records and information compiled by the United States Attorney General pursuant to that act when the circumstances of an investigation indicate that the records and information may be of assistance and when the act authorizes it. Source. 1985, 318:3, eff. July 1, 1985.

Source: New Hampshire General Court (gc.nh.gov)URL: https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/NHTOC/NHTOC-XII-169-E.htmFetched: 10/20/2026