My Journey on the Lost Highway

The mission of Outpost for Hope began 11 years ago when my sister, Ashley, disappeared. She was mentally ill, drug-addicted, and homeless when she vanished without a trace.

My family appealed to authorities to file a missing-persons report without results for the next four years and as I began the search for my lost sister in 1999, the movement of Outpost for Hope to define and raise awareness about 'the missing, missing' population was born.

I began the difficult process of searching for Ashley with only a handful of simple handmade flyers and the help of my family. It was not at all the experience of what one might see or hear about on the news with search volunteers, candlelight vigils, and media to get the word out when a loved one goes missing. No one seemed to care about a missing homeless young woman who was seemingly 'choosing' to live on the streets. I started to document what I was experiencing from the time I spent on the streets, searching in homeless shelters, and talking with various social service officials. I kept careful notes of meetings with various law enforcement officials, had more than one difficult experience of viewing a deceased Jane Doe case in the morgue and viewed hundreds of other cases like it online and in the office of a Crime Scene Investigator. I began to realize that if Ashley was not listed as missing, the odds of her ever being helped, if she was still alive and lost somewhere on the streets among the homeless were slim to none. And the odds of her body being identified, if she was dead were even lower. I had several forensic experts tell me 'It depends on who you ask" when I inquired "How many deceased John and Jane Does are there in the U.S.?'

During this time I volunteered with The Doe Network while running Outpost for Hope. My fellow 'online sleuths' were the only ones who understood clearly that disparity between someone who was 'officially reported' as a missing person and those who were lost but not officially reported as such. It seemed obvious to me that the lack of acknowledgment by law enforcement officials was but one reason why there was a disparity as well between 'reported' John and Jane Doe unidentified deceased persons and the 'real' number.

Ashley was more than just 'missing', she was now part of a population I defined as the 'missing, missing'. It was indeed a shock to many around me, as well as various media who I shared my story with - that a law enforcement agency would refuse to file an official missing persons report. It was not uncommon however, for me to realize that it was simply the perception of a homeless and mentally ill woman who was perceived as another crazy drug addict living on the streets as to why an official missing persons report was not taken.

The search for Ashley and Outpost for Hope's mission of 'missing, missing' people was written about by author Marquita Plomer in an in depth report in 2002. It would ultimately be Ms. Plomer's efforts that would result in an official missing persons report for Ashley in December of that year. By that time, four years had almost passed since Ashley's initial disappearance.

Many people of sound mind make choices to disappear 'voluntarily' everyday and an adult over the age of 18 has the right to his/her privacy. There is a clear difference however, when stigmas and social judgments about mental illness and substance addiction prevent the filing of an official missing persons report at the local level, an official entry into the NCIC system, and an investigation that could potentially save a life, identify a John or Jane Doe, or protect an unaccounted for child.

Have you ever considered what happens to unaccounted-for children who are born to unreported 'missing, missing' persons? Predators easily exploit adults and children that are not on the radar of social services and law enforcement. They are easy targets for those who know they may not be missed.

Could some of these victimized children be unaccounted-for kids off the grid? We at Outpost for Hope believe the answer is yes. And while you may not see a kid off the grid's photograph on the "Have You Seen Me?" postcard you get in the mail, it is past time for us as a society to challenge our own perceptions about mental illness, addiction, and homelessness that create opportunities for children (and at risk marginalized adults) to be exploited and abused without anyone noticing.

Finding a lost loved one and having him or her come home is not always the 'successful' end of the story. Keeping a loved one safe, preventing relapse, healing from trauma, and having good recovery support are just a few of the ongoing challenges that face caregivers and family members. More affordable and available options for recovery are desperately needed to help stop the cycle of being lost again and again. It begins with society acknowledging the problem exists. I have uncovered a great deal about the cracks in the lost highway as a result of repeatedly searching for, and sometimes finding, my sister. Ashley has 'gone missing' at least 9 times over the last decade. By sharing my experience, I hope to help create improved odds for the untold thousands whose whereabouts may be currently unknown.

Outpost for Hope exists to define this problem, expand education to society, offer solutions for prevention, and create more hopeful outcomes. If we shine a bright enough light on this population of unaccounted for missing, missing children and adults, perhaps society will begin to pay attention and join us in a movement for social justice. We are pioneering a new path to bring attention to those who are lost among us. We hope you are inspired to support our efforts.

Libba Phillips, Founder of Outpost for Hope