What really happens when somebody goes missing in the UK?

Jo Youle has photographs across her office. Smiling faces – some old, some young – look over as she completes her work. But these aren’t the faces of friends or family, they’re complete strangers.

Jo is the CEO of Missing People, launched in 1986 by sisters Mary Asprey and Janet Newman after the disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh. The charity has supported families of high-profile missing people such as Claudia Lawrence...