Why we don't take open posts

1. The abuser problem

This is the one that settles it. In custody and domestic-violence cases, a parent who has lost custody — or who is under investigation — can post a "missing child" notice about a child who is safe, hidden, and legally placed with the other parent.

An open board would broadcast that child's photo, name, and last-known location across Arkansas on the abuser's behalf. We would have no way to tell that post from a real one, and by the time we found out, the harm is done and cannot be undone.

This is exactly why NCMEC consults both the guardian and the investigating agency, and keeps a signed waiver on file, before publishing anything about a child. That gate is not bureaucracy. It is the product.

2. Posts outlive cases

Children are found. Posts are not taken down. Families of recovered children describe seeing their child's poster still circulating years later, and volunteers still driving to the wrong county chasing an alert that closed long ago.

3. Families of missing children are targeted

A public board of grieving families is a contact list for scammers, fake psychics, and people selling "AI search" services. We will not build that list.

4. It can damage the actual investigation

Investigators sometimes withhold details deliberately. Public speculation about a suspect can also prejudice a prosecution, and naming the wrong person is defamation with a real victim.

What we do instead

Everything the open board was supposed to achieve, routed through the people who can verify it:

• We mirror the official NCMEC and Arkansas State Police alerts for Arkansas, with one-tap sharing
• We push those alerts to a subscriber list the moment they publish
• We help families get into the official system fast, which is what actually generates the poster
• We recruit Arkansas businesses onto NCMEC's free Poster Network

If your child is missing and you want us to help amplify, start here — we can move quickly once there is a case number and an official listing.