1500 people go missing every day in the US alone. When you expand that to the world, it's estimated that around 8 million children go missing every year. The numbers are staggering, but fortunately, a large percentage of such people are found. But why do people disappear? What circumstances lead them down this path? Take a step forward with the new Netflix docuseries, Missing: Dead or Alive.
The four episodes on offer are conveniently divided into four separate cases, with a format that plays on the idea of being a fly on the wall as these investigators work to try and solve cases. We follow two predominant researchers, Vicki Rains and J.P. Smith, while searching for leads, questioning key witnesses, reviewing audio and video images, and physically verifying the locations.
At times, the show feels like a cable TV crime drama, with some scenes in particular feeling staged. What are the odds that a camera crew will be in the house when a family receives good news from key investigators, capturing their euphoria? Likewise, some conversations between detectives feel inorganic, especially after a particularly difficult case in which the outcome is less than favorable and Vicki is reminded that she is a good detective. These types of instances give the feeling that this is more dramatized than it should be.
Those complaints aside, the show actually does a pretty decent job of showing how these investigators operate, including the ordeal of having to dig into each person's history and details, and as Vicki Rains herself says at one point, you end up becoming attached to these people and really want them to meet.
So who are these four people we're following? Well, the first case concerns mother Lorraine Garcia, who goes missing and the prime suspect seems to point to her son, an Iraq war veteran who may be mentally unstable.
Next we have Amira Watson, who goes missing after a custody dispute, leaving the poor dad struggling for answers. The third case involves David Taylor, whose truck is found abandoned but was in possession of a winning $10k lottery ticket and his phone.
Finally, the show caps it all off with a final case involving the missing Sierra Stevens, a girl who might be involved in sex trafficking.
Giving much more about each case would be a disservice to the series, but it's worth noting that Amira Watson's case is actually wrapped up off-screen, which is a bit disappointing.
Overall, the show is gripping and does a pretty decent job of capturing the ups and downs that those in the Missing Persons Unit have to go through. It does feel a bit staged in places though, but the length of the episodes is just about right. The cases themselves are diverse and exciting enough to see their conclusions as well. It's certainly not the best true crime series of the year, but it's a solid watch nonetheless.