Who is Charley?

Charley was the nickname of Charles Brewster Ross, who was abducted from his home in Germantown, Pennsylvania on July 1, 1874, when he was just four years old. His family spent the rest of their lives looking for him in a search that extended over the world and gained international attention. His was by no means the first kidnapping in the United States, but it was the first highly publicized one.

Sadly, the search was unsuccessful; Charley would remain forever lost. There is no evidence at all as to his fate, and his story has been all but forgotten. His father published his memoirs, and there was a book about the abduction which was published in 1967 and a chapter about Charley in a more recent history of American child abduction, but all of those are out of print. This site was named in honor of Charley so that his memory, and the memories of all other long-missing people in this country, would not be forgotten. His pictures also appear on the website banners.

A history of the Charley Project can be found here.

How many members comprise the Charley Project? Can I volunteer?

The Charley Project is not an organization. It is solely an online database for cold case missing persons from the United States. There are no members in The Charley Project. The site is maintained by the administrator, who works alone.

Visitors can, however, provide additional details regarding profiled cases if they wish.

Why does the Charley Project not accept public case submissions?

It was difficult to verify if publicly-submitted cases were valid and filed with a law enforcement agency. As a result, such cases are not accepted.

Does the Charley Project feature every missing person in the United States?

No, not by far. It is impossible to determine how many people are reported missing every year; there is no centralized database, and many reports are misplaced or closed without being solved. In any case, the Charley Project profiles only a miniscule number of all the people who disappear every year.

Why does the Charley Project feature only cases that have been active for a year or longer?

The Charley Project profiles cold cases, which infers that the case has run out of active leads (if evidence was initially available) and has grown 'cold.' One year was the time period that was determined to be sufficient to meet the criteria.

How are the cases selected for the database?

The criteria section explains the guidelines for case inclusion.

Are you affiliated with law enforcement or private investigators?

No. I only provide an online database. I do not help find missing people nor do I assist law enforcement, unless the agency contacts me and asks for my help in a matter. I am a college student; I do not have any qualifications to locate missing people, nor am I getting paid for my efforts.

Does the Charley Project accept donations?

No. This site is privately funded.

Why don't you accept tips or possible matches between missing and unidentified persons?

Maintaining the Charley Project and keeping the database current takes up the majority of my online time. I do not have the ability to pass along tips or possible matches to law enforcement. The Doe Network will forward such correspondence to the proper authorities.

I can no longer find a case that was profiled on the Charley Project's site and it is not featured in the Resolved Cases section. What happened?

Certain resolved cases may not be featured in that section at the request of family members or law enforcement officers. In addition, the individual may have requested that his/her privacy be respected. Or a file may be removed for other reasons.

My loved one is missing. What should I do?

If the person is a minor (under age 18), contact your local law enforcement agency immediately. Contrary to popular belief, there is no waiting period if reporting a missing child. The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) also provides extensive information regarding missing children's cases.

If the person is an adult, contact your local law enforcement agency as soon as possible and inquire about their protocol in such cases. Some agencies may only allow the missing person's family member(s) to file a report. Other agencies require a certain time period to have passed (usually 24 to 48 hours) before they accept a report, unless the missing individual is disabled or there is clear evidence that he/she is in danger. The Center For Missing Adults (NCMA) is an excellent source of information for adult cases.

I am listed as a "missing" person, but I am alive and well and do not want to be "found." How do I get my listing closed?]

If you are an adult and of sound mind and you do not want to be found, contact the investigating police department and identify yourself. They should close your file and would not be legally allowed to tell your relatives etc. where you are, due to privacy laws. Once your file has been closed, if you want it removed from the Charley Project, contact me and explain the situation and it will be done. The same thing applies if you ran away from home as a minor but are now over the age of 18. People who are under 18, however, may be made to return to their guardians.

I am the so-called "abductor" of my own child who is listed on your website. I want my child's name and photograph removed immediately.

I will not remove a family abduction casefile at the request of the non-custodial relative and, if I receive any such requests, will forward them to the police.

What about people like Dorothy Arnold who are obviously dead due to time factors, whose cases almost certainly cannot ever be solved?

Just because a person is missing doesn't mean that they didn't exist once. Really, really old cases are posted in great part in memoriam of the missing individual; they deserve to be remembered too. There is also a historical interest in very old cases.

Why are some of the photos of such poor quality?

I have to use whatever photographs are available. Naturally I will take the best photos that are available, but often none of the available pictures are very good, and often there is only one photo to begin with. I use Adobe Photoshop to improve bad photos: fix contrasts and colors, paint over tears and spots, etc. Retouching can only do so much, however. The Charley Project would never refuse to accept a case because of a poor quality photo.

Why are there occasional lapses between database updates?

I spend the majority of my online time working on the Charley Project. However, I also have friends, a family, and I go to school full-time. I take temporary "breaks" from the site when I need to devote additional time to other pursuits, or when I do not have access to the internet. The pauses are short-lived and I always return to the Charley Project soon. If I have advanced warning that I will have to be absent for awhile, I will post a notice on the updates page.

Can I link to you?

I would be honored if you did.

I am a media representative. Can I interview you and/or mention the Charley Project in an article? NEW!

I would be happy to grant interviews on request and give my permission for all reporters to mention the Charley Project in print or television media. I have a section on the website for articles in which the Charley Project was mentioned.

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