Missing Children's Day: Four Estonian youths still unfound after decades

On International Missing Children's Day, May 25, the Estonian foundation SA Kadunud continues to search for four young people who went missing between 2000 and 2015. The cases span locations across Estonia including Rummu, Papissaare, Tartu, and Võru.

May 25 marks International Missing Children's Day, observed around the world to remember children who have fallen victim to crime or disappeared under other circumstances and remain unfound. In Estonia, the foundation SA Kadunud is using the occasion to remind the public that four young people who went missing years ago have never been found — and have not been forgotten.

The oldest open case dates back to 2000, when Katriin disappeared from Rummu at just 13 years old. Four years later, in 2004, nine-year-old Tamb went missing from Papissaare. In 2006, 17-year-old Reili vanished in Tartu, and most recently, in 2015, 17-year-old Markus disappeared from Võru.

SA Kadunud, Estonia's foundation dedicated to finding missing persons, continues to actively work on these long-unsolved cases. The foundation's message on this year's International Missing Children's Day was direct and personal: "You have not been forgotten." The appeal is aimed both at raising public awareness and encouraging anyone with information to come forward.

International Missing Children's Day has been observed globally since 1983, following the disappearance of American child Etan Patz in New York in 1979. The date serves as an annual reminder that behind every unsolved disappearance is a family still waiting for answers.