45% of disappearances in Ecuador are caused by family problems

In January 2021, 256 cases of missing persons were registered.

The National Directorate of Crimes against Life, Violent Deaths, Disappearances, Extortion and Kidnappings (Dinased) confirmed that 45% of disappearances in Ecuador are caused by family problems. In January 2021, 256 cases of missing persons were registered in Ecuador.

Cristian Navas, deputy director of the Dinased, commented that these cases have become more relevant in recent years due to the influence of social networks, which serve as a search tool and also in this place up to 1 person is reported missing a day.

“This problem has become more notorious in recent years due to the impact of social networks that have become a tool for searching for people,” said Navas.

For the Dinased, 38% of the causes of disappearances are due to social problems in the family, for example, some economic crisis. While other motivators are mental illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, in the elderly.

The Dinased authorities comment that its effectiveness is high, because of the 256 people who disappeared in January, 200 have already been found. 60% of the cases are resolved in the first 48 hours and 85% in the first week.