Department of Justice: online missing person registry.

Assembly Member Castillo's proposal to establish a new electronic database for reporting and locating missing children would create a system designed specifically to include immigrant children and families, operating alongside California's existing missing persons registry.

The database, to be developed by the Attorney General in consultation with nonprofit organizations, homeless shelters, legal aid groups, and government agencies, would allow parents to register missing children and receive location updates. The system would incorporate anonymous reporting features and firewall protections to prevent unauthorized data sharing. Parents reunited with their children through the system would be offered free DNA testing at state-approved laboratories to confirm parentage, with results restricted to reunification purposes.

The legislation defines "immigrant" to include any person who is not a U.S. citizen or national, including undocumented individuals. This database would operate as a distinct system from the Attorney General's current online missing persons registry and separate historic database for missing children and at-risk adults. While the bill requires fiscal committee review, it does not include new funding appropriations, indicating implementation costs would be addressed through existing resources.