The Public Ministry for the Federal District and Territories (MPDFT) on Friday (28/11) is promoting an initiative to help families in the Federal District who have a missing person and do not know where to start or what actions to take.
One of the main challenges the agency faces is demystifying the deadline for requesting assistance. MPDFT confirms that it is not necessary to wait 24 hours to register the disappearance, as this is a myth.
The advice is to look for a police station immediately. The Civil Police provides its own functional phone number to contact family members to avoid scams.
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When a person is found without identification in places such as hospitals, social shelters, health agencies or partner institutions, teams register them in the National System for the Location and Identification of Missing Persons (SINALID).
Through this registry, it is possible to compare data with police reports submitted by family members, using physical characteristics, tattoos, motor conditions, or digital identification, when available.
In cases of death, identification can be made through the National DNA Bank, which combines the family’s genetic material with that collected at the Medico-Legal Institute.
Based on data from the Secretariat of Public Security, 1,870 cases of disappearances were recorded in the Defense Forces in 2025, in 1,780 locations. About 89 people are still missing.
Men constitute the largest group of missing persons, at 60%. Women represent about 30%, children 25%, and people over 60 years old 8%.
Importance to the population
A woman, who did not want to reveal her identity, said that her uncle disappeared when she was still a child. At that time, the family living in Valparaiso (GO), didn’t know what to do.
According to her, the procedure is very important so that people can learn more about the topic faster.
“With this propaganda, the person passing through the bus station sees the propaganda and the information is transmitted faster,” he said.
Nursing student Victoria Martinez, 25, said many patients come to the clinic to ask for guidance on what to do when someone is missing at home, and she now knows how to guide them with the right information.
MPDFT explains that the DF is in the final stage of implementing an integrated network of agencies, health, security, social assistance, reception, public defender’s office and others, so that everyone automatically receives records of missing persons and can work together.
Full integration would later allow Sinalide to be used as a record of the area.
Is there a missing family member? Know what to do
First step: Find the nearest police station and report the disappearance. No need to wait 24 hours. If it is not possible to attend in person, registration can be done online by clicking here.
Step two: Provide as many details as possible about the missing person: full name, age, physical characteristics, clothes he or she was wearing, circumstances in which the disappearance occurred, contact network and recent photographs.
Step three: After recording the incident, you may contact the Program for Locating and Identification of Missing Persons (PLID/DF) by calling (61) 3343-6047, as well as the DF Public Defender’s Office by calling 129.