Sadly, some missing persons are already victims. And being able to match unidentified bodies with a missing person at least provides the families with closure. Identification, recovery and reunification of missing persons, is the goal regardless of the circumstances surrounding their disappearance.
The conference was also an examination of the sometimes complex and multifaceted nature of missing person cases. And it emphasized how some groups such as children, older people, LGBTQ, indigenous/native/transient populations, are more at-risk.