Missing persons

AN ACT Relating to procedures and requirements for reporting and 1
investigating missing persons; amending RCW 68.50.320; adding a new 2
section to chapter 43.43 RCW; and repealing RCW 36.28A.110, 3
36.28A.112, and 36.28A.120. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
Sec. 1. RCW 68.50.320 and 2022 c 251 s 5 are each amended to 6
read as follows: 7
When a person reported missing has not been found within thirty 8
days of the report, or at any time the investigating agency suspects 9
criminal activity to be the basis of the victim being missing, the 10
sheriff, chief of police, county coroner or county medical examiner, 11
or other law enforcement authority initiating and conducting the 12
investigation for the missing person shall: (1) File a missing 13
person's report with the Washington state patrol missing and 14
unidentified persons unit; (2) initiate the collection of DNA samples 15
from the known missing person and their family members for nuclear 16
and mitochondrial DNA testing along with the necessary consent forms; 17
and (3) ((ask the missing person's family or next of kin to give 18
written consent to contact the dentist or dentists of the missing 19
person and request the person's dental records; and (4))) enter the 20
case into the national crime information center system through the 21
H-0931.1
HOUSE BILL 1736
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Lekanoff, Springer, Ormsby, Parshley, Hill, Nance,
Pollet, and Ramel
Read first time 01/30/25. Referred to Committee on Community Safety.
p. 1 HB 1736
Washington state patrol electronic database. Upon knowledge from the 1
national crime information center system, the Washington state 2
patrol's crime information center, or similar or subsequent 3
authority, that a person in custody at a jail, or being released from 4
custody, is the subject of a missing person's report, the jail shall 5
notify the agency of original jurisdiction for the missing person's 6
report. 7
The Washington state patrol missing and unidentified persons unit 8
shall ask the missing person's family or next of kin to give written 9
consent to contact the dentist or dentists of the missing person and 10
request the person's dental records.11
The missing person's dentist or dentists shall provide diagnostic 12
quality copies of the missing person's dental records or original 13
dental records to the ((sheriff, chief of police, county coroner or 14
county medical examiner, or other law enforcement authority, )) 15
Washington state patrol missing and unidentified persons unit when 16
presented with the written consent from the missing person's family 17
or next of kin or with a statement from the sheriff, chief of police, 18
county coroner or county medical examiner, or other law enforcement 19
authority that the missing person's family or next of kin could not 20
be located in the exercise of due diligence ((or that)), the missing 21
person's family or next of kin refuse to consent to the release of 22
the missing person's dental records ((and there is reason to believe 23
that the missing person's family or next of kin may have been 24
involved in the missing person's disappearance )), or the next of kin 25
is not able to sign a release due to circumstances that limit access 26
and ability to obtain a signature. 27
As soon as possible after collecting the DNA samples, the 28
sheriff, chief of police, or other law enforcement authority shall 29
submit the DNA samples to the appropriate laboratory. ((Dental 30
records shall be submitted as soon as possible to the Washington 31
state patrol missing and unidentified persons unit.))32
The descriptive information from missing person's reports and 33
dental data submitted to the Washington state patrol missing and 34
unidentified persons unit shall be recorded and maintained by the 35
Washington state patrol missing and unidentified persons unit in the 36
applicable dedicated missing person's databases. 37
When a person reported missing has been found, the sheriff, chief 38
of police, coroner or medical examiner, or other law enforcement 39
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authority shall report such information to the Washington state 1
patrol. 2
The dental identification system shall maintain a file of 3
information regarding persons reported to it as missing. The file 4
shall contain the information referred to in this section and such 5
other information as the Washington state patrol finds relevant to 6
assist in the location of a missing person. 7
The files of the dental identification system shall, upon 8
request, be made available to law enforcement agencies attempting to 9
locate missing persons. 10
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.43 11
RCW to read as follows: 12
(1) The Washington state patrol missing and unidentified persons 13
unit shall establish and maintain a statewide missing persons 14
website, which shall be available to the public. The Washington state 15
patrol missing and unidentified persons unit shall post relevant 16
information to the website concerning persons reported missing in the 17
state of Washington. For missing persons, the website must contain, 18
but is not limited to: The person's name, physical description, 19
photograph, and other information that is deemed necessary according 20
to the adopted protocols. The website must allow citizens to more 21
broadly disseminate information regarding missing persons for at 22
least 30 days. 23
(2) Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this 24
purpose, the Washington state patrol missing and unidentified persons 25
unit shall regularly transmit information contained on its missing 26
persons website to the national missing and unidentified persons 27
system. 28
(3) The Washington state patrol missing and unidentified persons 29
unit shall establish an interface with local law enforcement agencies 30
and its missing persons website, the toll-free 24-hour hotline, and 31
national and other statewide missing persons systems or 32
clearinghouses. 33
(4) Local law enforcement agencies shall file an official missing 34
person's report and enter biographical information into the state 35
missing persons computerized network without delay after notification 36
of a missing person's report is received under this chapter.37
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NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The following acts or parts of acts are 1
each repealed:2
(1) RCW 36.28A.110 (Missing persons information website creation) 3
and 2007 c 10 s 3 & 2006 c 102 s 4; 4
(2) RCW 36.28A.112 (Missing persons information website — 5
Transmittal of information to the national missing and unidentified 6
persons system) and 2020 c 45 s 4; and 7
(3) RCW 36.28A.120 (State patrol involvement with missing persons 8
systems— Local law enforcement procedures for missing persons 9
information) and 2007 c 10 s 4 & 2006 c 102 s 5. 10
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