Overview
- Bavaria reported 171 children under 14 as missing in mid-May 2026, with officials saying most are repeat runaways who usually return within days.
- The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (BLKA) treats all missing minors as at risk of harm until investigations show otherwise, and it stresses that the first 24 hours are decisive for searches.
- The BLKA has set a 'Day of Missing Children' for May 25 to raise public awareness and encourage families to report unknown whereabouts so police can launch immediate checks and inquiries.
- Regional data show most cases are resolved quickly: in 2025 Bavaria recorded 1,044 missing-child reports and 970 were closed, while high-profile criminal probes such as the Fabian murder trial continue to develop with new witness testimony.
- At the national level the BKA records a smaller but persistent pool of long-term unresolved disappearances dating back decades and victim groups warn that such prolonged uncertainty causes severe mental-health harm to relatives.