The space alloted for describing the missing or unidentified person is sometimes inadequate for all the pertinent info but when custom items have been used, it is only fair to credit the talented artists that created the content. Most of the time I can credit the Mod The Sims artist but when I don\'t have the space, players will be referred here to see where it came from and who to look for on Mod The Sims for additional great custom content. Anyone needing help with using Custom Content can view the tutorial on Mod The Sims.

All of the custom items that are included with the Missing or Unidentified sims came from Mod The Sims. There are many more Sims 3 hairstyles, clothing, etc. that is available for downloading that I am unable to use on the Exchange due to the artist\'s request that their particular items not be included in any Exchange items. I asked and was told that because the Exchange simply credits the uploader, artists from Mod The Sims generally do not receive credit for their hard work and this is true unless the uploader takes the time to credit the MTS artist.

The items that I include are only from MTS artists that do not object to their creations being used and uploaded to the Exchange. Those items and their creators are:

Hair by oepu, a very talented MTS featured artist

Flower bracelet for females/bead bracelet for males by ailivina

Twin or double pierced earrings by tamo

Triple hoop earrings by magnemoe

Face piercings by amvalvo

Long lace gloves by princess danford

Long straight hair for females by wojtek0

Each of these artists have other items that you may want to download. I urge you to take a look. There are some great thongs, corsets, merry widows, lace stockings, watches, earrings, tats-tribal and dragon, etc. that are all available free of charge at Mod The Sims. Don\'t forget to click the Thanks button because that is the only reward that these talented artists get.

Today I received a warning that I had exceeded my allowed space on the Exchange. Because I consider creating Missing and Unidentified Persons far more important than any sim created from my imagination or recolored coffee tables, I must delete previous creations that are not related to the Missing or Unidentified. I\'ve deleted some older creations already but as time goes on, it will be necessary for me to continue to delete items.

I do not plan to delete any Missing or Unidentified Sims as I believe there is always hope that someone may recognize a sim representative and make the call to solve a mystery. When I eventually run out of space for the Missing and Unidentified, I will be begging the gurus for help and advice to continue on.

Unidentified Persons

It is sad commentary that there are people whose remains have not been identified. These people had families, friends, relatives, and neighbors so there is no reason why we should have so many of the unidentified. Part of the identification problem is that many times there is only skeletal remains left and most small law enforcement departments don\'t have the resources to pay an artist or reconstructionist. I have added the Unidentified Person category because not only are they missing, they have even lost their names. When the remains are listed as skeletal, I simply create a Sim based on what type of belongings, if any, were found with the unidentified person. These Sims likely won\'t resemble the real unidentified person but the info about them will be correct. Case numbers are included when the number exists. This category, as with the Missing persons, is to aid families and law enforcement by keeping the case in the public eye.

Countries Outside the U.S.

We have not cornered the market on the missing or unidentifed. Sims 3 is played worldwide so I am expanding the Missing to include other countries. My biggest obstacle for this category is a language barrier but eventually I will find websites that I can translate to make sure that I am using missing people photos and not someone\'s high school reunion.

Some Thoughts on the Unidentified

I watched The Changeling over the weekend and couldn\'t help but to think about all the unidentified and missing people that I have come to know through creating them as Sims. Until I saw the movie, it had not occurred to me that some of the unidentifed may forever be nameless because as long as family members don\'t identify remains, hope is still part of the family\'s life. Denial is a powerful emotion. It may be left to friends of the unidentified to come forward with names. It was very sad that the young man from WV who was the victim of a drunk driver managed to live for several years after the accident but was so brain damaged that he could not communicate and his family didn\'t find him before he died as a result of the injuries he sustained. He was likely buried in a field of the unknown but he still needs his name.

Request for an amateur sleuth

Of all the cases that I have seen and read about, the one that bothers me most is the Little Jane Doe 0179 from St. Louis, MO. This little girl was between 6 and 12 years old and since Home Schooling was not really an option in 1983 when her remains were found, it seems odd that her identity was not discovered through school records. I am hoping that a simmer in the St. Louis area will want to get involved in this case by talking to the St Louis PD and seeing where they are in the investigation. I am looking around on other websites to see if I can find anything that might tie into this case since it\'s possible that this little girl wasn\'t from St Louis and someone in another state may have found a decapitated head or an unidentified skull. Without all the details of the case, I can only assume that the empty apartment complex was a dump site for the body and the child was murdered someplace else. If you live in the St. Louis area and are interested in working on this case, please consider talking to the police about it. We all know that many times witnesses are afraid or will simply refuse to talk to police. One person can make a difference.