Arizona agencies schedule missing persons awareness event, candle-lighting ceremony

PHOENIX — The Arizona Attorney General’s Office recently announced that it has partnered up with two state agencies to host a missing persons awareness event in October.

The event, “Missing in Arizona,” will be held on Oct. 18 at Arizona State University’s West Valley campus in Glendale, with a focus on honoring those persons that have gone missing and collaborating as a community to begin to resolve active missing person cases.

Officials from the Maricopa County and Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office will be in attendance throughout the event, which will last from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It is open to the public and families of those with missing members are also invited to join the event located at 51st Avenue and Thunderbird Road.

“Prior ‘Missing in Arizona’ day activities have brought resolutions to nearly 50 families, and we hope our efforts this year can resolve additional missing persons cases now and for years to come,” Suzi Dodt, investigation supervisor for the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office, said in the release.

At noon, there will be a candle-lighting ceremony “to honor the missing.” Also from noon to 2 p.m. will be a time for those with missing family members to find support at the event.

Those wishing to be a part of the two-hour support session must register prior to the event by going online (for Spanish speakers) and scanning the provided QR code.

Law enforcement agencies on hand to tackle missing persons cases at event

Officials will be on hand to gather information and any “identifiers” such as DNA samples, medical records and fingerprints from families present with a missing member.

Any of these identifiers, dental records also included, can help the state agencies create a profile and expedite a case so the missing don’t stay so for much longer.

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