Extra Visibility Will Help Law Enforcement and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Bring More Children Home
Every year an estimated 800,000 children are reported as missing in the United States. Comcast recently launched Missing Kids On Demand and online at xfinity.com/news/missingkids, a first-of-its-kind public service initiative that will make information about missing children available to millions of Comcast video customers and consumers across the United States.
The first case from Washington State is available On Demand now and online. It concerns Tayvaunna Milam, who disappeared in 2009.
Tayvaunna Milam is a 17 year-old American Indian, black and white female who has black hair, brown eyes and pierced ears.
Visit Xfinity TV to watch a video about Tayvaunna Milam
The video about Tayvaunna will air through mid-May.
In mid-May., in association with the National Center, there will be another case of a missing person from Washington: Kaycee Ludeman. She was born July 17, 1995 and was reported missing Jan. 24, 2011. she’s a white female who stands at 5’6″ with brown hair, hazel eyes and weighing 131 pounds.
The new initiative is in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and will enable Comcast customers and consumers to support efforts by law enforcement across the country to help bring missing children home.
“The best way to help find a missing child is to get the message out as broadly as possible,” said Ernie Allen, President and CEO of National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “Our partnership with Comcast enables us to reach millions of homes across the country we may not otherwise reach and empowers viewers with the resources they need to help solve cases.”
“Our On Demand and online platforms have a strong track record of helping raise awareness for important issues,” said Diana Kerekes, Vice President Entertainment Services, Comcast. “We’ve seen real success with other public service initiatives available on our platforms such as Police Blotter, Stand Up To Cancer and the Pink Ribbon Campaign, and we hope this partnership can help drive awareness of missing children and the efforts of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and law enforcement.”
There are a number of videos on the site, including of a brother and sister from Portland who are missing:
Comcast’s Missing Kids On Demand and online, produced in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, features 20 video profiles chronicling missing child cases from across the nation. Each video provides relevant details about the child’s case, including the name of the missing child, city of the disappearance, possible whereabouts, likely abductors and photos. In cases where the child has been missing for a long period, an age progressed photo showing what he/she may look like at a more recent age will also be available. In addition, during the airing of each profile, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s toll-free 24-hour national missing children’s hotline (800-THE-LOST) will be displayed on the bottom of the profile, so viewers can report tips should they have any information. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website will also be available for viewers to report tips online at www.missingkids.com.
This public service initiative is modeled after Comcast’s Police Blotter On Demand, which shows profiles of local “Most Wanted” criminals and is created in partnership with local law enforcement authorities. Since its launch in November 2006, Police Blotter On Demand has profiled more than 1,400 fugitives and has led to more than 90 criminal captures. Police Blotter On Demand is part of Comcast’s “Get Local” programming On Demand, which includes local news, high school sports, film and music festivals and other community-based programs.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation’s leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 22.9 million video customers, 16.7 million high-speed Internet customers, and 8.4 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.
Comcast’s content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, 11 regional sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast’s Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, which owns two professional sports teams, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, and a large, multipurpose arena in Philadelphia, the Wells Fargo Center, and, through Global Spectrum, manages other facilities for sporting events, concerts and other events.
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since it was established by Congress in 1984, the organization has operated the toll-free 24-hour national missing children’s hotline which has handled more than 2,528,730 calls. It has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 157,720 children. The organization’s CyberTipline has handled more than 1,000,620 reports of child sexual exploitation and its Child Victim Identification Program has reviewed and analyzed more than 44,099,160 pornography images and videos. The organization works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice’s office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. To learn more about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com.
