A family member does not come home, does not answer the phone, does not turn up for work. The first hours are the ones in which the most time is lost, between the hope that it is only a delay and the fear of “disturbing” the authorities. The question everyone asks is the same: missing person, what to do right away?

This guide explains in practical terms what to do in the first 48 hours, when and how to report, what the difference is between a disappearance and a voluntary departure, what an authorised private investigator can (and cannot) do, and how to find an untraceable or long-lost person lawfully.

Missing person: what to do in the first hours

The time factor matters more than any other. These are the steps to take, in order:

Call 112 or 113 immediately and file a missing-person report. There is no minimum waiting period: the belief that you must wait 24 or 48 hours is a myth. The report is filed with the State Police, the Carabinieri or the Guardia di Finanza, even at a station other than the one for the place of residence.
Prepare a recent, clear photo (better still, more than one, with a close-up and a full-length shot), a description of the clothes worn, of distinguishing marks, glasses, jewellery, tattoos and of the last place and time the person was seen.
List the relevant health information: medical conditions, life-saving therapies, disorientation or dementia, any suicidal thoughts expressed in the past. This data changes the urgency and the way the search is carried out.
Gather the contact details: friends, colleagues, former partners, places frequented, phone numbers, registration plate and model of the car or vehicle used, travel habits.
Preserve without altering the phone, computer, personal belongings and any notes left at home. Hand them over to law enforcement if requested: opening or modifying them, or accessing another person's accounts without their consent, may constitute a crime (unauthorised access to a computer system, art. 615-ter c.p.) and may contaminate the evidence.
Be careful with social media. A shared appeal can help, but photos and data spread without control can generate false sightings, expose the person or the family, and in the case of minors they must be handled with particular caution.

For minors you can support the report with the European helpline 116 000 (run in Italy by Telefono Azzurro), active for reports of missing children and teenagers.

Missing or voluntarily gone?

Not all disappearances are alike, and the difference changes what the authorities and an investigator can do.

Involuntary disappearance: the person is unable to return or communicate (accident, illness, disorientation, being the victim of a crime). Here the response is urgent and involves law enforcement, rescue services and the Prefecture.
Voluntary departure of an adult: an adult has the right to change life or city, or to cut off contact with the family. If the person is found, they are identified and, as a rule, the family is only told that they are well: their address or contact details are not revealed without their consent.
Departure of a minor: a teenager running away or being kept by a parent are situations at risk. The abduction of a minor, particularly abroad, may constitute a crime (art. 574-bis c.p.) and falls under the 1980 Hague Convention, which operates through the Central Authority.
Vulnerable person: elderly people with dementia or Alzheimer's, people with mental frailty or in crisis. The first hours are decisive and must be handled with searches on the ground.

Who searches for missing persons in Italy

The search for missing persons is a public function. Law no. 203 of 14 November 2012 established the Extraordinary Government Commissioner for Missing Persons and provided for provincial search plans coordinated by the Prefecture, with the participation of law enforcement, the Fire Brigade, rescue services and civil-protection volunteers. Activation starts from the report: this is why it must not be postponed.

No private investigator can take the place of this system, nor should they. What an authorised agency can do is support the family with a parallel, complementary activity that involves information and places which law enforcement, with their limited resources, are not always able to look into in depth.

What a private investigator can do to find a person

An investigation agency holding a prefectural licence under art. 134 TULPS operates within precise limits and with lawful tools. In a search for missing persons the work normally develops on four levels:

Reconstruction of the profile and habits starting from what the family provide: character, relationships, recent difficulties, places frequented, vehicles used, documents and messages that the family already have at their disposal and can lawfully hand over.
Open-source research (OSINT): presence on social media and public websites, advertisements, work profiles, reviews, images and public reports, using techniques of open-source analysis and cyber investigation.
Public registers that can be consulted by those entitled to do so: company, land, mortgage and PRA (vehicle) registers, useful for reconstructing whether the person holds offices, properties or vehicles in certain areas.
Checks on the ground: site inspections, tracing of witnesses, checking the last areas frequented, public establishments, stations and transport hubs, also in collaboration with the family.

The information gathered is brought together in a written report that the client can hand to law enforcement or to their own lawyer. If the case has criminal relevance (for example the disappearance of a minor, of a victim of crime or of a person under guardianship), the lawyer can appoint the agency within the framework of defence investigations under art. 327-bis c.p.p..

What a private investigator cannot do

Out of honesty towards those in a situation of anguish, it is important to state the limits clearly, because anyone who promises the opposite harms the family and themselves:

they cannot access phone records, the cells a phone has connected to or the location of another person's phone: these are acts of the Judicial Authority;
they cannot consult the police databases, the Tax Registry (Anagrafe Tributaria) or the bank accounts of third parties;
they cannot override the will of an adult who has chosen not to be found: if the person is located, the agency can pass on a message from the family or tell the family that the person is well, but it does not force a return or reveal where the person lives without their consent;
they cannot take the place of rescue services and law enforcement where life is in danger: in that case the priority is always the call to 112.

Untraceable or long-lost person: how to find them

It is not always a disappearance. Sometimes you need to find a person who has changed residence without leaving contact details: a debtor who does not answer, an heir to be involved in an inheritance, a relative or an old friend you have lost touch with, a counterparty to be summoned in court, a witness, a former partner. In these cases the levers are different:

the lawyer can ask the judge for the tools provided by law for serving documents and, in the enforcement phase, for the electronic asset search under art. 492-bis c.p.c.: the agency provides the elements that allow the lawyer to draw up a targeted application;
the investigator can carry out a tracing of untraceable persons using open sources, public registers, checks on the ground and verification of the addresses and professional activities attributable to the person;
where contact is wanted by only one party (for example a relative you have lost touch with), respect for privacy requires caution: the right route is often a message delivered through the agency, leaving it to the person found to decide whether to reply.

If behind the disappearance or the break in contact you suspect outside influence, for example a coercive group or a romance scam, it is worth looking further into our investigations into cults and mental manipulation. For cases involving teenagers, see also the monitoring of minors service.

Mistakes to avoid

Waiting “a few days” before reporting.
Going it alone with invasive searches: accessing the family member's phone, email or social media, tailing acquaintances, contacting suspicious people. Besides possibly being unlawful, it can compromise the evidence and subsequent investigations.
Trusting anyone who promises phone records, mobile phone tracking or bank data. These are illegal services and often hide scams that target families already in difficulty.
Spreading sensitive information (diagnoses, quarrels, money problems) in public appeals: it can harm the person when they return.
Failing to coordinate activities: every piece of information gathered must be shared with the law enforcement body in charge of the case.

Frequently asked questions

How long after can the disappearance of a person be reported?

Immediately, with no waiting time. The report can be filed at any State Police, Carabinieri or Guardia di Finanza station; the more timely the report, the greater the chances of finding the person.

Can an adult who has left voluntarily be searched for?

Yes, the search is lawful. However, once found, an adult is free not to return and not to let anyone know where they are: the family are told that the person is well and, if the person agrees, how to contact them.

Can a private investigator locate a mobile phone?

No. Locating another person's phone without their consent and phone records are reserved to the Judicial Authority. An authorised agency works on open sources, public registers, documentation provided by the family and checks on the ground.

How much does it cost to have a person searched for?

It depends on the urgency, the area to be covered and the information available. A first confidential assessment serves to establish whether the search is feasible and in what timeframe; the general criteria are on the page about how much a private investigator costs.

Searching for people in Milan and Lombardy

Arcadia Company operates from its office in Sesto San Giovanni for families, law firms and professionals in Milan, North Milan and the whole of Lombardy, with an ISO 9001 certified management system and personnel authorised under art. 134 TULPS. In the event of a disappearance, call 112 first; then, if you want to support the search, contact us for a confidential assessment.

Missing person, what to do: reporting, first steps and the search for an untraceable person.