Reporters Li Jie and Wu Yuya / Photography Chen Yingren / Editor-in-Chief News Center Report
Published: 2025/08/04 18:05
Last Updated: 2025/08/04 20:11
A mother in Taoyuan repeatedly reported her 18-year-old daughter missing. Even after police successfully located her, she refused to return home, leading to a cycle of withdrawing her search and reporting her missing. This is because the police will also accept missing reports of adults. However, if found, the individual has the right to decide where to stay, who to contact, and whether to return home. They can even refuse to disclose their whereabouts to their family, placing the police in a difficult position.
The case of this Taoyuan mother illustrates the complexity of missing adult cases. The case report she provided shows that her daughter was first reported missing in December 2020. This year, there have been five such reports, including one on April 5th, where she was found but the search was called off. She disappeared again on the 16th, and was found again on the 27th. The incident recurred in May, with news coming two months later. The most recent report was made to the police on the 26th of last month. Police actively assist with each missing person’s search, but if the daughter refuses to return home, the officers can only inform her mother that she is safe.
Wang, Po-Chi Associate Professor of the Department of Criminal Justice at Ming Chuan University, stated that police face a real dilemma when handling such cases, and the information they can reveal is limited, especially when the individual is unwilling to speak. He emphasized that if the individual is a minor, the principle of priority protection can be exercised under the Act on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Children and Youth, and they can generally be brought back.
From the perspective of family members, whether they are minors or adults, they desperately hope for their children’s safe return, fearing they might be in danger. For example, 21 years ago, a 22-year-old woman surnamed Huang went missing. Her family created a large billboard to help find her. Although police accessed key surveillance footage and arrested the suspect, the truth vanished with his death, and the woman remains undiscovered.
The dilemma of handling missing adult cases reflects the tension between human rights and security. When adults have the right to decide their own whereabouts, but their families are concerned about their safety, is there a compromise? This is a question that society needs to consider.