HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/16/2023 04.A.iv. Missing and Unidentified Persons Awareness Month proclamation BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AGENDA STATEMENT
Item No.A.iv.
For Meeting of: May 16, 2023
ITEM TITLE: Missing and Unidentified Persons Awareness Month proclamation
SUBMITTED BY: Cally Price,Assistant to the City Manager
SUMMARY EXPLANATION:
Michelle Joe will be accepting the proclamation.
ITEM BUDGETED:
STRATEGIC PRIORITY:
APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL BY THE CITY MANAGER
RECOMMENDATION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Upload Date Type
Missing and Unidentified Persons Awareness Month 5/3/2023 Cover Memo
proclamation
2
CITY OW 'YAICI A
ntOCLAIIATION
EAS, at any given time there are an estimated100,000 active missing persons cases in the
V nitedStates—TRe National Institute of Justice Ras called it "Ike Nations Silent Wass Disaster"; and
WWtEAS, tRere are more tRan 800 families in the State witR a loved one that is missing witR 35
active missing persons cases being from Yakima County and25 of tRose cases are missing from tie City of
Yakima; and
WATEREAS, tRere are an estimated40,000 sets ofunidentifiedRuman remains being Reldin tie
offices of coroners/medial examiners across tie VnitedStates. In tie State of l4)asRington, tRere are 159 sets
of unidentifiedfuman remains, 3 are from Yakima County andl of tRose is from the City of Yakima for a
woman that was found deceased on July 25, 1977—almost 46years ago; and
'WJIEE AS, anyone, regardless of age,gender, etRnicity, education or social status could someday
have a loved one go missing or even go missing themselves; and
WJfE AS, tie circumstances reading to a disappearance are varied(i e. 6y tReir own decision,
runaway, suicide,fourpray/murder, kidnapping, sextraffi'cking, ora nationaldisasterorcatastropRe) and
WWERMS, missing persons that are Romeless,gang affiliated suffering from mentalillness or
addicted to drugs oralcoholoften receive very little attention from law enforcement and very little sympathy
from the public and
'WJFERMS, wRen a person goes missing tRey should 6e searchedfor regardless of age or if tRey are
Romeless, suffering from mentaldisorders, or addicted to drugs or afro Rol—it is important that tRey not Become
merely a statistic. and
WJFEREAS, ifyou are concernedfor someone's safety and welfare andcro not know tReir
wRereaBouts or if tRey are alive or deadyou sfouldfile a missing person's report witR your local law
enforcement agency as soon as possible, tRere is no waiting period and
WXfEREAS, every missing person is someone's cfildregardless of the age tRey were wRen tRey went
missing and tfie families left 6eRind6otR need and deserve to Rave closure. Lackof closure is extremely painful
and can Rave long lasting effects that can make it difficult to move forward in rife Because you don't know if
you s Ronk!continue to Rope or if you sRoullgrieve.
NOW THE9 TO fl, I Janice Deccio, W ayor of the City of Yakima and on 6eRalf of the Yakima
City Council do RereBy proclaim Way 2023 as
alaSS'Ng et vNIDEJVri/WIED SEW SOWS
AWAREwEss iMOgvuif"
in tie City of Yakima and askallpeople to join me in tRis observance.
Dated tRic 16hday of Way, 2023
Janice Deccio, Wayor