Affected families across Canadian provinces have been caught between hope and heartbreak as cases of missing children continue to rise.
Canada, a North American country with 10 provinces and three territories, is experiencing cases of missing children who disappeared under inexplicable circumstances.
The Missing Children Society of Canada on its website noted that it currently documented 95 cases across different ethnicities in the country,
MCSC, a Canada-based non-profit organisation that helps locate and safely return missing children by partnering with law enforcement, using technology and supporting families, noted that in the recent cases, Alberta recorded 13, 16 in British Columbia, 10 in Manitoba, three in New Brunswick, one in Newfoundland and Labrador, two in Nova Scotia, 14 in Québec and six in Saskatchewan.
While no cases were currently recorded in Prince Edward Ireland, Nunavut, Northwest territories and Yukon as of the time this report was filed, there were 30 cases of missing children in Ontario, the highest in the country.
The phenomenon of missing children in Canada is not new. The Peoples Gazette’s review of cases documented by the MCSC showed that it started in the 1980s, with some children declared
missing as far back as 1980.
However, findings indicated that the first national statistics on missing children in the country was released in 1987, when over 57,000 cases were reported. In 2019, there were 40, 425 cases of missing children.
The MCSC told The Gazette in email exchanges that in 2024, Canada recorded approximately 32,680 missing children cases, representing nearly half of all missing person cases nationally.
It added that while more than 90% of cases were resolved within a week, a concerning number became long-term or recurrent disappearances.
Noting that most missing children reports involved youths who ran away, the organisation clarified that the cases accounted for roughly 70–73% of reports and were often linked to family conflict, abuse, mental-health challenges, substance use, or systemic instability.
“While many of these children are located quickly, they face heightened risks of exploitation, trafficking, and violence while missing,” the organisation told The Gazette.
It explained that following a temporary decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases rose again as schools and community systems returned to full operation, adding that indigenous overrepresentation remained one of the most urgent and persistent trends, underscoring the need for systemic and preventative approaches.
Noting that parental abductions represented a much smaller proportion of cases (approximately 1–2%) and typically associated with custody disputes, the non-profit organisation stated, “Stranger abductions were extremely rare, occurring fewer than 30 times annually, but they are high-risk incidents and generally meet the threshold for AMBER Alerts.”
One problem, many victims
The MCSC told The Gazette that certain groups have been disproportionately affected by the issue.
“Teenage girls aged 13 to 17 are the most frequently reported missing demographic,” the organisation said.
However, it noted that indigenous children and youths were significantly overrepresented in missing persons data, particularly indigenous girls, reflecting broader systemic inequities and vulnerabilities.
The organisation added that the province of Ontario reports the highest number of cases annually, while the Saskatchewan province has the highest per-capita rate of youth disappearances.
Meanwhile, analysis of the cases identified by MCSC indicated several victims of different origins, including African, Asian, Caucasian and others, with many black children falling victim to unexplained disappearance linked to trafficking and other criminal activities in the North American country.
Across the provinces and territories, children from different ethnicities were declared missing and the MCSC on its website sought help to strengthen investigations into their mysterious disappearance.
The Gazette findings indicated that cases of missing boys were particularly rampant in Ontario with a movement, #FindOntarioMissingBoys deepening urgency of the situation.
In Ontario, where many Nigerians reside, the missing teens are of different ages. For instance, Joshua and Jahvinson, both 15, (even though their ethnicities were not listed), were announced missing on January 28, 2026 under unknown circumstances. Their last places before their disppearance were not stated.
Another victim, Emmanuel, aged two, was declared missing in November 2025 following an alleged abduction by his father said to have travelled to Ethiopia with him without the consent of Emmanuel’s mother, Modupe Owaseye.
Eighteen-year-old Tamilore was also declared missing in October last year, with the police seeking vital information from the public to help in rescuing the victim. Kamal and Adeola, six and 38 respectively, both of Nigerian origin, were also declared missing since May, 2025.
Apart from victims of Nigerian origin, the MCSC identified victims of Caucasian origin, including Isabella, 15; Rebecca Fudg-Shnarr, 17; Nicole Morin, 8; Jannisina Stonehouse, 16; and Kathy Lulloff, 15.
While victims such as Jay’siiah, 16; Deandre, 16; and Melanie Ethier, 15 were African Americans, others were Sofi Ma, 2; Eva Ho, 17; and Jackie Li of Asian origin missing in Ontario.
Dangers of prolonged disappearance
As many of cases of missing children remain unresolved, families and loved ones of victims worry about their children’s prolonged disappearance. Parents are particularly devastated by the unfortunate reality that their missing children risk exposure to high-risk activities, including sexual assault, exploitation, trafficking, illegal employment, crime, violence and mental health impacts.
While narrating the ordeal of Jaysiiah’s family, the founder of the grassroots movement FindOntarioMissingBoys, Shana McCalla, noted that the victim’s mother was heartbroken over alleged denial to file the missing person report frustrated the search for her son.
“He (the missing boy) left home and was caught on video surveillance leaving home when his mother had actually left for work that day,” Ms McCalla said of Jaysiiah’s disappearance in an interview with CityNews. “Her son was home when she left for work. But she came back, he was gone. Her cries for help went unanswered. It’s devastating. For months, there was no urgency. No search. No action.”
She explained the physical and emotional pain experienced by the families of missing victims, alleging bias and total silence in the handling of many cases by the police.
Citing the family of another victim who went missing several months ago, McCalla added, “The family was terrified. Their 16-year-old son had vanished from his Toronto home and the only thing they had to go on was bits of detail from his friends, message exchanges and his online search history.”
She added that while no two cases were the same, there seemed to be a noticeably insidious pattern of many missing youths being recovered in areas described as red zones, including Orillia, Niagara, Sarnia, Sudbury, London.
“These are places that essentially where these boys are being transported to,” she said, noting that the victims were manipulated into organised crime and promised large sums of money in exchange for few weeks of service.
She added, “This is really human trafficking. When a child who is 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 years old is groomed, lured and given gifts and told that their parents won’t notice that they’re gone, there’s a form of brainwashing and manipulation that is taking place and quite often happens over years.”
MCSC also disclosed that while individual families shared updates about cases of missing children, many cases were closed by law enforcement without follow-up communication to third-party organidations.
The organisation, however, said cases of missing children remain tragic, especially in Ontario where the highest number was recorded, affecting families of victims psychologically, emotionally, economically and physically.
Contacted for comments, the Ontario provincial police promised to get back with details regarding the missing children and the circumstances surrounding the trend.
For about three weeks, the police were not forthcoming with the information and no response to a reminder email as of the time of publication.
Way out
The MCSC said that reversing child disappearances across Canada required a collaborative effort to with governments, non-governmental organisations and parents working together to ensure safety of young children.
“Preventing child disappearances requires collaboration among families, communities, schools, law enforcement, Indigenous leadership, non-profits, and technology partners working together to keep children safe,” MCSC stated.
Urging community members to register for verified alert systems and responsibly sharing official missing-child information, the organisation said investments in mental-health supports, family-based interventions, poverty reduction and culturally appropriate services, particularly for indigenous communities, were essential to reducing the conditions that place children at risk.
“Prevention begins at the community level. Education and awareness initiatives that teach children safety strategies and help caregivers recognise early warning signs are critical,” the organisation stated.
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