Brand new to streaming today is the true crime series, Missing: Dead or Alive? The series, which is available in full on Netflix, follows a collection of missing person cases, carried out by the Richland County Missing Persons Unit.
Each episode of Missing: Dead or Alive? focuses on a different person, and the events surrounding their disappearance. These are real-life cases, of people who have vanished with little-to-no trace, and the series looks at the attempts to find them.
In total there are four episodes in the series, each varying in length, ranging from just over an hour long (Episode One) to around 30-minutes (Episode Three). The episodes include detailed accounts of the investigations, with police officers going through the various stages along the way.
The first episode follows the case of a 61-year-old woman, who has not been seen for two months. The woman was reported missing by her ex-daughter-in-law, and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance seem very suspicious.
The second episode picks up where the previous episode left off, to wrap up the case, before moving onto the disappearance of a mother and her 10-year-old child. In this instalment, the disappearance is a kidnapping, which in turn is related to a custody dispute.
The third episode provides a wrap-up to episode two, before switching to a story about a missing man. The person at the centre of this story is a recent lottery winner, who vanished on the way to cash his ticket.
The fourth and final episode follows suit with its predecessors, by providing some resolution to the previous story, before taking on one more case. This final case deals with a 17-year-old who fails to return home following a trip to the cinema.
None of the stories are directly connected, but all share similar themes and an element of mystery. Missing: Dead or Alive? explains what happened to these people, why it happened, who could have been responsible, and what the outcome is.
Leading the series are various members of the Missing Persons Unit, who have vast experience in troubling and unusual cases. As much as the series is about the missing people, Missing: Dead or Alive? also zeroes in on the officers, to explain why they do the jobs they do.
These officers become deeply connected to their work, they have seen some truly awful situations in their time, and they understand that many missing people don’t have happy endings, often because of people they are closely linked to. As Officer Vicki Rains comments in Episode One, “I’ve seen family do the worst things to each other.”
So, Missing: Dead or Alive? explores how these investigations impact the officers who are endlessly searching for people. Each new case brings them potential heartache, and the officers have to factor this possible outcome into their day-to-day lives.
I believe it is important to note this series is about disappearances, and not murder cases (even if the first episode leads viewers down this path), so it does aim to provide some happy endings where possible. The officers involved in the show want to bring everyone home safely, which injects an element of hope into each investigation, and allows room for varying outcomes.
However, there is a dark edge to Missing: Dead or Alive?, and the series isn’t afraid to lean into this, in order to build tension and suspense. Some of this tension and suspense does drop off here and there, and not all of the cases feel as strong as each other, but generally speaking, the series is fairly consistent in its approach and tone.
Missing: Dead or Alive? is interesting to watch, and fans of true crime stories and reality shows about police investigations will find something to latch onto. The first episode has a way of drawing viewers in quite quickly, and it’s not difficult to find yourself sticking with the series from start to finish.
But is it the strongest true crime series? No, and it does feel as if the show runs out of momentum half-way through, so keep this in mind.
However, the way in which the cases are explored makes for some compelling viewing, and the focus on the officers in charge helps to bring some much-needed heart to the series. This carries it through from start to finish, and ultimately makes Missing: Dead or Alive? pretty decent viewing.
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