'No one is truly there to help': why so little is known about the reasons people go missing

<p>As part of new research into missing persons in Australia, I have been asking people who return after disappearing what they needed or wanted. Mary, who has gone missing four times in the last few years, responded<p> <p align = "center"><i>I just wanted someone to ask if I was OK when I came back.</i></p> <p>Voices like Mary's are not often heard, nor are their problems understood, when we talk about the mystery and intrigue of missing persons cases.</p> <p>Every hour in Australia, 100 police reports are generated about the safety and well-being of a missing person. In the past decade, the rate of reports has increased by 30%, from 30,000 per year to almost 40,000 in 2019.</p>