Uneven Attention: How Missing Persons Cases Are Covered

February 28, 2026

Some disappearances become national obsessions. Others barely register. We examine the research behind “Missing White Woman Syndrome,” and how race, newsroom priorities and public perception shape which cases stay in the headlines and get all the coverage.

Guests:

Zach Sommers, professor, Chicago-Kent College of Law
Cheryl Neely, sociologist, Oakland Community College, author, No Human Involved

Gabby Petito was a 22-year-old woman who went missing while traveling cross-country with her fiancé. The case generated intense media coverage and online interest, with news outlets and social media users tracking every development in real time.

Cheryl Neely accurately predicted the race of the female victim based on where the story was placed in the newspaper. What she found was that there was a greater probability that the victim was white if the story appeared on the front page.