Meet Ashley Young | Missing Persons Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Young and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My mom’s friend, Nancy Begg-Shoupp, went missing when I was about 5 years old and she has never been found. I have hoped to see justice for Nancy my whole life. With the realization that justice might not be possible, I started focusing on other local missing persons cases. In 2019, I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement Administration and a certification in Criminal Forensics. While obtaining my degree, I worked for various companies as a skip tracer (locating people). As a hobby, I help family and friends solve their own mysteries utilizing genealogical research and Ancestry DNA tests. I started independently advocating for unidentified persons and missing persons in 2014, but I didn’t start My Loved is Missing until in 2018 on Facebook.

There are countless missing persons and nonprofit groups dedicated to raising awareness. Most focus on creating flyers for social media, and some go a step further by starting Facebook pages or groups for individual cases. However, I noticed that very few provided direct, in-person assistance to families at a local level. My goal was to fill that gap by offering hands-on support to those navigating the difficult process of searching for a loved one.

Unfortunately, as my health declined, I was no longer able to assist families in person. Rather than stepping away entirely, I shifted my focus to providing consulting services. I continue raising awareness for missing, unidentified, and unclaimed persons through my social media accounts while also working to ensure accuracy in public databases. This includes searching for and submitting missing case photos to NamUs and the CBI cold case database, as well as helping to get closed cases removed and unlisted cases properly documented. I also review the annual Colorado missing persons name list to ensure that no missing person is forgotten, and names of people who were located are removed from this list.

Thankfully, a new nonprofit, Search Light Colorado, was formed last year to provide the in-person support that families in our state desperately need. I now volunteer my skip tracing and consulting services to assist their efforts, ensuring that families have access to both digital and hands-on resources in their search for answers.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Last year, I was part of a group advocating for NamUs legislation in Colorado to ensure that all law enforcement agencies consistently utilize this national database for missing and unidentified persons. Unfortunately, NamUs recently removed—and then, after public backlash, reinstated—several transgender missing and unidentified cases. This decision contradicted the inclusive and transparent approach I believe is necessary in missing persons advocacy. As a result, I am currently revamping my website to include a free public database dedicated to all missing and unidentified individuals in Colorado.

While national databases like NamUs and the Charley Project exist, I have yet to find a comprehensive, Colorado-specific resource. The CBI’s Cold Case Database is limited, only including cases of individuals missing for over three years. Because Colorado lacks NamUs legislation, law enforcement agencies are not required to use the database, meaning many cases go unlisted. If law enforcement does not share a case on social media or enter it into NamUs, the missing person’s name may not be made public until the release of the annual Colorado missing persons list—one year after their disappearance. In many cases, a photo of the missing person is not available until three years later when the case is added to the CBI database, assuming a photo can be obtained. This gap in public awareness is unacceptable, and I am committed to ensuring these individuals are not forgotten.

One of the greatest challenges I’ve faced in this work is navigating the landscape of missing persons advocacy—determining which advocates and organizations align with my values and which do not. Ethics and integrity are extremely important to me. I believe in supporting human rights and choose to distance myself from individuals and organizations that do not share this commitment or have demonstrated questionable behavior.

What sets me apart is my dedication to not only raising awareness but also actively working to bridge the gaps in how missing persons cases are documented and shared with the public. I’ve learned that while this work is challenging, it is also deeply rewarding. My hope is that my efforts will provide families with better access to resources, increase transparency in missing persons investigations, and ensure that every individual—regardless of background—is acknowledged and accounted for.

While all my missing persons advocacy is all unpaid volunteer work, I am able to cover the cost of maintaining my website by creating art and product designs, mostly though Redbubble.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to Red Rocks! It has the best views!

I grew up in Englewood, so I like taking out-of-towners to my old stomping grounds. The gothic is awesome! Moe’s BBQ often has metal bands and Englewood Tavern has great food, drinks and service! Karaoke is a must when I go out on weekend evenings, so we would stop by Clock Tower Grill!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Lindsey Paison, a local private investigator, has assisted with many missing persons cases! I am happy to have her as a resource to refer families to when she is available. She has been especially successful after single-handedly starting her ‘Get Home Safely’ mission to help families of missing unhoused people for free!

Website: https://mylovedoneismissing.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mylovedoneismissing/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mylovedoneismissing/

Twitter: https://x.com/mylvd1ismissing

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mylovedoneismissing

Image Credits
The CBI shared photos of missing persons day
https://x.com/CBI_Colorado/status/1886825059924205746/photo/1
Im the one holding a poster of Nancy Begg-Shoupp next to the guy in the orange broncos hoodie (my husband)