In the first four months of 2026, Paraguay's National Police recorded 1,020 missing persons reports. Of the total, 772 were located, but 248 remain missing: 154 adults, 78 teenagers, and 16 children.
The figures were released by Second Sub-Officer Ramón Vera, from the Department for the Search and Location of Missing Persons. He explained that the majority of missing persons continue to be adults and that, in the case of teenagers, many runaways are linked to family problems and, in some cases, drug use.
Vera stressed that it is not necessary to wait 24 hours to file a missing persons report — the report should be made immediately.
The release of the statistics gained prominence following the case of 2-year-old Mathías, who was reported missing and later found alive in Pedro Juan Caballero, a border city in the department of Amambay.