Searching for missing family members, either recently lost track of or long gone, is a time-consuming endeavor that more often than not requires a great deal of patience and determination. Sometimes such a search also costs money. However, there are free methods of searching for information regarding missing relatives, and these methods may provide you with solid leads and information that can be used for more detailed searches that may require fees. If you are creative and use your imagination when searching for a lost or missing relative, it may not cost you more than time.
Step 1
Talk with family members first when searching for a missing relative. Whether the person is a cousin you've lost track of or an ancestor, an amazing amount of information can be gleaned from family members who pass down stories or gossip from one family member to another. Ask close as well as extended family members to recall as much information about the missing person as you can think of, including birth date, marriage, time last seen, job last held and so forth.
Step 2
Log onto the Internet and Google the missing person. Type the person's name into the Google search bar and see what comes up. Also look in online phone directories. If you know the missing person's phone number or full name, type it into the search fields and see what you come up with.
Step 3
Log on to the National Center for Missing Adults to see if your relative is there. If not, report the family member as missing on the site, or use the site's numerous available resources.
Step 4
Visit your local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Most LDS churches offer genealogical research access and resources to community residents, whether they are members of the LDS church or not. The church offers huge amounts of information that may be accessed on microfiche machines for free. Some facilities may have transferred data to online databases, but many have not. Volunteers at such locations will be happy to show you how to find the films and load them into the microfiche readers.
Step 5
Log on to the Internet and try searching courthouse records in the county or state where the missing person last lived. Searching public records may require a minimum of information, including name and type of case. Some of these records contain public information that may be accessible for free viewing. However, be aware that some require printing costs for copies of documents.
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