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About Linda Brown
Linda Brown was a deeply loved member of our family and a devoted Chicago Public Schools special education teacher. She dedicated her life to supporting children with patience, compassion, and unwavering care. Linda was kind, steady, and selfless — the type of person who showed up for others without hesitation.
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On January 3rd, 2026, Linda went missing.
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In the days that followed, our family was thrust into an experience we were completely unprepared for. We faced fear, urgency, confusion, and an overwhelming lack of guidance. We were expected to advocate, communicate with law enforcement, manage public attention, and make critical decisions — all while trying to process the unimaginable.
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Tragically, Linda was later found deceased. Her loss was devastating to our family and forever changed our lives.
Linda was not just a missing person, she was a vital part of our family. Like so many families before us, we were forced to learn how to navigate a missing person’s case in real time, without a roadmap.
This initiative exists because of Linda...
Through our experience searching for Linda, we came to understand the critical gaps that exist in missing persons response. Families are often left unprepared, isolated, and unsure of how to advocate effectively without unintentionally causing harm to themselves or an investigation.
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We learned that missing persons cases require more than urgency. They require preparedness, ethical advocacy, coordinated communication, and trauma-informed guidance — especially during the earliest and most vulnerable stages.
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The Linda Brown Advocacy Protocol was created to ensure families are not left navigating this process alone and that advocacy efforts are grounded in clarity, collaboration, and care.
The Linda Brown Advocacy Protocol is a trauma-informed, comprehensive missing persons initiative currently in development and launching soon. It is designed to bridge the gap between families, advocates, media, and law enforcement by providing structured guidance, tools, and education throughout a missing person’s case.
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This protocol is built from lived experience and professional expertise and is intended to serve as the foundational framework for all missing persons advocacy and outreach moving forward.
The initiative is built around four interconnected pillars, each addressing a critical need identified through lived experience and systemic gaps in missing persons response.
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Pillar I: Preparedness
This pillar focuses on bridging the gap before a crisis begins.
It includes tools and resources designed to help individuals and families organize critical information ahead of time, so they are not starting from scratch in an emergency. Central to this pillar is the development of an “If I Go Missing” digital preparedness folder, which helps families compile essential information such as recent photos, identifying details, medical considerations, emergency contacts, and consent guidance.
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Preparedness reduces confusion, saves critical time, and helps families act with clarity when urgency matters most.
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Pillar II: Early-Stage Family Guidance
This pillar focuses on the first hours and days after a loved one goes missing.
Families will receive trauma-informed education on:
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This pillar exists to support families during the most overwhelming stage of a missing person’s case, when clear guidance is often absent.
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Pillar III: Ethical Advocacy, Media & Search Education
This pillar addresses one of the most overlooked areas of missing persons cases: public advocacy and community involvement.
It includes guidance for families and advocates on:
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This pillar helps families get loud when necessary — without losing control, credibility, or emotional safety.
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Pillar IV: Collaboration & Systems-Level Growth
This pillar focuses on long-term collaboration and improvement.
As the initiative evolves, this pillar will support:
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This pillar exists to reduce conflict, build trust, and ensure all parties involved in missing persons cases are working toward the same goal.
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What to do — and what not to do — in the first 24–72 hours
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How to communicate effectively with law enforcement
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How to document timelines and information responsibly
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How to manage fear-driven decisions and avoid unintentional harm
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Responsible media engagement and consistent messaging
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Present-tense advocacy language and why it matters
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Navigating podcasts and digital media ethically
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Organizing community searches safely and responsibly
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Managing tips, volunteers, and public attention
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Structured collaboration between families and advocates
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Trauma-informed communication frameworks
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Future education and training resources to improve coordination across systems
A Central Home For Missing Persons Advocacy...
Moving forward, all of our missing persons-focused efforts — including awareness campaigns, outreach flyers, educational materials, and advocacy support — will operate under the Linda Brown Advocacy Protocol.
This ensures consistency, accountability, & trauma-informed practices across every aspect of missing persons work.
The Linda Brown Advocacy Protocol is currently in development. Tools, educational resources, and materials will be released in phases as they are completed.
This initiative is being built intentionally and responsibly, guided by lived experience, professional insight, and a commitment to doing this work with care.
Support The Launch Of The Linda Brown Advocacy Protocol
We can’t do this without community support. Building this initiative takes time, resources, and a lot of care, and we need help to do it right.
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What we are creating is meant to truly support families navigating missing persons cases — not just in words, but with real tools, guidance, and outreach that can make a difference when everything feels overwhelming. That work takes funding, and it takes people who believe this matters.
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Your donation helps us keep building, growing, and preparing this initiative so it can be there for families when they need it most. We are incredibly grateful for every person who chooses to support this work and stand with us.
Thank you for being part of this mission.