Missing people in Michigan: Families are becoming increasingly concerned

• Amber Arnett has been missing since June 25, 2023. Her family is still looking for answers about her disappearance.
• The Arnett family is one of many families in the state struggling with this problem. The latest data from the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System shows that there were more than 600 unsolved missing persons cases in Michigan as of the end of 2022.

To commemorate the one-year anniversary of Amber Arnett’s disappearance, balloons were released in the Logan Square parking lot on Tuesday evening.
“My life changed a year ago today and I didn’t even know it when I woke up,” said Amber’s mother, Marty Arnett.

Marty struggles with the pain of not having her daughter home and still has many questions about her disappearance.

Police were able to trace Amber’s last whereabouts to Logan Square on June 25, 2023.

“That’s the last place the police can confirm,” Marty said. “We know she was somewhere else during the day, but the police can’t confirm that.”

The last year has been filled with endless searches, hopes and memories for Amber’s family. Unfortunately, this is an experience that is far too common in Michigan.

“You are not alone. We support families literally every day,” says Nina Innsted of Missing in Michigan, an organization that supports people whose loved ones are missing.

“We’re finally able to track down missing people,” Innsted said. “We’ve gotten a lot better in the last few years at filing police reports, sharing missing person information with the public and registering it in NAMUS.”

NAMUS stands for National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

The system’s latest data shows that there were more than 600 unsolved missing persons cases in Michigan through the end of 2022.

NAMUS enjoys such great trust in the state that a law was passed in 2018 requiring law enforcement agencies to enter every missing person report into the system.

While law enforcement uses NAMUS to solve cases, Amber’s family remains committed to one cause.

“Hold on to hope. There is always hope until it’s gone,” Marty said.

Lansing Police released the following statement regarding Amber’s case:

“As this is an active and ongoing investigation, we cannot comment. The Lansing Police Department has been working on this case for the past year and is doing everything they can to bring it to a conclusion.”