Metro Police lax on missing people

Rhon Flynn, Cumming, Ga.

Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013 | 2:01 a.m.

Metro Police have a website regarding missing adults that says, “When facts and circumstances indicate a strong possibility of foul play or the disappearance is the result of a criminal act, police will investigate.”

That sounds wonderful, until an adult goes missing and the family hears this on the phone: “We are not a locating service. She went missing voluntarily, and that’s OK.” The cold attitude from the police and an abrupt end to the call leaves a family in shock with no place to turn. Some spend thousands of dollars on private investigators.

If a family fears the missing person is in danger and may be hurt or dead, there is no way to have unidentified remains ruled in/out as being the missing loved one without a missing-person report filed.

The big question is: How do the police know the person left voluntarily if no report and no investigation is done? Some officer on the other side of the phone states it’s voluntary without having put forth any effort.

This happens daily to families and most recently to the family of Constance Lynn Teeter.

Melanie Riggle, Constance’s daughter, and other family members have been looking for Constance for a year.

Is it too much to ask for the police to file the report to be sure Constance did leave voluntarily? How can they know if there is foul play involved if they do not investigate?