Over 100 People Go Missing in Oregon Every Month as Calls for Action Grow

On average, 112.6 people are reported missing in Oregon every month, giving it the fifth- highest rate of open missing persons cases in the U.S.

The Beaver State, with a population of 4.29 million, reported 563 open missing persons cases this year alone.

According to a new study by Los Angeles-based personal injury lawyers, Ladah Law Firm, the state of Oregon achieved its ranking based on an unsolved caseload of 13.12 per 100,000 residents, exceeding the national average of 10.54 by 24%.

Researchers analyzed missing persons data from 2025 posted by the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).

Researchers Call for Oregon to Adopt ‘Emily’s Law’

Fourth-ranked Arizona recently unanimously passed ‘Emily’s Law’ which established a ‘Turquoise Alert’ for missing Indigenous people and addresses a critical gap in the current system, according to researchers.

The law was named when 14-year-old Emily Pike was found murdered after she went missing. No Amber Alert had been issued for the Apache girl from San Carlos.

By expanding ‘Emily’s Law’ nationwide, researchers believe that long-term unsolved missing persons cases could be significantly reduced
and bring closure to countless families.

The states with the highest number of unsolved missing person cases are, from 1 to 10: Alaska (175.73 average number of unsolved cases), Hawaii (18.40), Oklahoma (15.92), Arizona (14.52), Oregon (13.13), Tennessee (13.03), New Mexico (12.01), Arkansas (11.33), Washington (11.29), and Louisiana (11.16).