Overview
- In Saxony, an early December snapshot lists 338 unresolved cases, including 133 adolescents and 62 children, according to the state criminal police.
- Lower Saxony counts 1,225 missing as of December 1, including 217 children, 373 adolescents and 635 adults, the LKA reports.
- For missing minors, investigators assume danger to life and escalate checks and searches after initial inquiries fail, while adult cases may not meet that threshold.
- Lower Saxony’s 2024 figures show 10,459 reports with 10,050 resolved by year-end, most within three days, and only 221 persisting beyond 56 days.
- Recent cases illustrate divergent outcomes: a 12-year-old from Oschatz was found near Baruth with a 49-year-old under investigation, while a 13-year-old on holiday at Silbersee was later found dead near railway tracks in what police initially assessed as an accident.