summary
Introduced
01/14/2025
01/14/2025
In Committee
01/14/2025
01/14/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
126th General Assembly
Bill Summary
Amend The South Carolina Code Of Laws By Enacting The "help Find The Missing Act"; And By Adding Section 23-1-260 So As To Define Certain Terms, Provide Circumstances When Coroners Or Medical Examiners Must Refer Decedents' Bodies For Examination To Sled's Forensic Services Laboratory Which Must Retain And Furnish Certain Information About The Persons To The National Missing And Unidentified Persons System, To Require The Collection Of Dental Records By Law Enforcement Agencies Of Persons Who Are Subjects Of Missing Persons Reports Under Certain Circumstances, To Provide For The Reporting Of Missing Persons In Certain Databases, To Require Sled To Adopt Rules Relating To The Dissemination Of Missing Persons' Records, To Provide Law Enforcement Agencies May Not Establish Or Maintain Policies Which Require A Waiting Period Before Accepting And Investigating Missing Child Reports And Must Enter The Reports Into The National Crime Information Center, To Provide When Missing Persons Are Found, Law Enforcement Agencies Must Inform Sled And The National Institute Of Justice That The Persons Have Been Found, To Provide This Section Does Not Prohibit Certain Agencies And Persons From Maintaining Case Files Related To Missing Citizens Or Unidentified Bodies, And To Provide Sled Shall Perform Annually A Compliance Review Of The Provisions Contained In This Section.
AI Summary
This bill, known as the "Help Find the Missing Act," establishes comprehensive protocols for handling missing persons cases in South Carolina. The legislation defines a "missing citizen" as individuals who are 60 years or older, suffer from dementia, or have disabilities that make them vulnerable when their whereabouts are unknown. The bill requires county coroners or medical examiners to refer unidentified bodies to the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Forensic Services Laboratory, which must then document and share detailed information about these cases with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). Law enforcement agencies are mandated to collect dental records for missing persons within 30 days and enter missing person reports into appropriate databases quickly. The bill specifically requires immediate action for missing children, prohibiting any waiting periods before investigating such reports and mandating entry into the National Crime Information Center within two hours. Furthermore, when a missing person is located, law enforcement must notify SLED and NamUs within 24 hours. SLED is tasked with maintaining case files, adopting rules for record dissemination, and conducting annual compliance reviews to ensure these protocols are followed effectively. The primary goal is to improve tracking, investigation, and resolution of missing persons cases while ensuring comprehensive documentation and inter-agency communication.
Committee Categories
Justice
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
Referred to Committee on Judiciary (on 01/14/2025)
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=112&session=126&summary=B |
| BillText | https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/prever/112_20241211.htm |
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