LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It's Super Bowl weekend, and even though it's not being played here this year, the big game still draws big crowds in Las Vegas.
That's why Nevada Child Seekers, a local non-profit focused on locating and saving the lives of missing kids across the Silver State, holds their annual "Super Search" this weekend.
It's a city-wide effort to find missing children in the valley, with dozens of volunteers casing valley streets and handing out fliers with pictures and information of missing kids, so people and businesses can be on the lookout for them.
"Our volunteers saturate the city with missing child fliers, with the hope tips from the public will be the missing puzzle piece to cases that have come home," Nevada Child Seekers Executive Director Margarita Edwards said in a text. "It's going to take all of us working together to bring our missing children home."
"There's still a couple hundred people coming to Vegas to watch the big game in whatever environment, and that's when these kids are even more vulnerable," said Robin Mullins III.
Mullins and Mark Speer with Red Rock Search and Rescue were two of the volunteers on Saturday, making the rounds on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip.
"We ask if we can leave a brochure if they can spread the word," Mullins said. "Whether it's the manager of the McDonald's we were just in or the security guard at Circus Circus, they have all been very willing to help."
More than 8,000 children are reported missing every year in Nevada, according to Nevada Child Seekers, and the way the Super Search is conducted makes a tangible difference in locating them.
"It means a lot to get their faces out there and not just say, 'Hey, go visit a website,'" Mullins said while pointing at the brochure. "These are the vulnerable kids who need our help."
In fact, Channel 13 saw that difference first-hand.
"We were just in Walgreens here, and the manager said she recognized one of the kids," Mullins said.
Nevada Child Seekers says they've already found 12 of the 30 kids on the fliers they've passed out.
"A third being found already is a remarkable number, but I'll be satisfied when we have 30," Speer said.
Each of the volunteers has their own reasons for dedicating their Saturdays.
"I've got three kids, I've got three grandkids," Mullins said. "I couldn't imagine if they were missing."
"I've dealt with missing kids a lot when I was in law enforcement," Speer said. "There's nothing that's sadder—to have a report of a missing kid—but there's no greater satisfaction than to bring those kids home."
The turnout these last three days and the mission of the Super Search means something to volunteers.
"It just shows the heart of Las Vegas," Speer said.
Saturday marked the last day of the Super Search, but that doesn't mean that Nevada Child Seekers is done looking for missing kids in the valley. For more information on Nevada Child Seekers and to learn how to volunteer, visit their website by clicking here.
