Delegate proposing Maryland missing children’s plan

Posted: 5:40 pm Wed, February 1, 2012
By Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS — A state delegate from Baltimore is proposing the creation of a plan that would kick-in whenever a Maryland child goes missing.

Delegate Jill Carter and missing persons advocates gathered Wednesday to discuss a bill aimed at improving cooperation between state agencies and advocacy groups that she plans to introduce this session.

“Phylicia’s Law” is named in memory of North Carolina teen Phylicia Barnes, who disappeared in 2010 while visiting Baltimore and was found dead months later, spurring broader interest in missing persons cases.

The bill, still a draft, would require state officials to oversee efforts to find children and ensure that local law enforcement, missing children’s organizations, experts and families work together. It would also have to publish the names and relevant information about missing children and annual statistics.