"Alert: Missing Persons Unit" Shines a Light on the Search for Missing People

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is excited to bring attention to a brand-new, action-packed FOX drama that takes viewers inside the Philadelphia Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit.

The procedural drama, “Alert: Missing Persons Unit”, follows police officer Nikki Batista, who is a member of PPD’s Missing Person’s Unit (MPU). Batista, played by Dania Ramirez, joins the unit after her own son goes missing. While going through the heartbreaking search for her boy, Batista uses her determination to help other people find their loved ones. 

Sound exciting? Watch the trailer below:

As the MPU fights to reunite families, Batista is shocked when six years after joining the unit, her ex-husband, Jason, played by Scott Caan, shows up with a proof-of-life photo of their missing son. 

But is it really him? 

Coming from the minds of co-creators, Jamie Foxx and John Eisendrath, Eisendrath told the following story at FOX Winter Press Day: 

“I got a call one day from Jamie Foxx’s producing partner, Datari Turner, and he said that he wanted to pitch me an idea for a show.... The first thing he said was, ‘How about something about Amber Alerts and the people who go missing?’” 

“And I was like, ‘Wow, that's actually a great idea for a show.’” 

Turner then explained to Eisendrath that Foxx had an experience one afternoon where he thought his own child had gone missing. It wasn’t the case, but the experience led him to investigate people who find missing persons and it fascinated him.

“He always thought that it would be a good idea for a TV show,” Eisendrath said. 

The series plans to approach a new missing person case in each episode, running alongside the overarching storyline of Nikki and Jason’s mission to find the truth about their own son. You can follow the story on each episode and on social media, where FOX will collaborate with NCMEC to share real-life statistics on missing children’s cases. 

Gavin Portnoy, Vice President of Communications and Brand at NCMEC says he’s thrilled about the potential awareness “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” could bring to real-life missing children's cases.

"This is NCMEC’s first real foray into scripted television programming and we couldn’t be more excited about the partnership with FOX. We are hoping that ALERT: Missing Persons Unit will expose even more people to the issues facing missing children and allow them to learn about how to protect the children in their lives.”

Tune in to the 2-night series premiere of “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” January 8 and 9 on FOX or stream the next day on Hulu. Learn more about the show here: https://www.fox.com/alert-missing-persons-unit/

Looking for more information on real-life missing child cases in Philadelphia? Check here: https://www.missingkids.org/search