Alice Byrne
1940 – 2020
Alice Byrne was a force of nature. A friend, a daughter, a partner, and a pioneering private investigator whose compassion and determination helped shape the history of Child Find of America.
In 1980, Alice met Julie Patz, mother of Etan Patz, the six-year-old boy who disappeared on his way to school in 1979—a case that forever changed how the nation viewed missing children. Their conversation deeply affected Alice. She was struck by how cases involving parental abductions and runaways were not pursued with the same urgency as stranger abductions.
Driven to change that, Alice developed the first low-cost program dedicated to helping families search for their missing children. She later joined Child Find of America’s Board of Directors and served as National Honorary Chairman. Her advocacy even reached the White House, where her warmth and persistence contributed to the establishment of May 25th as National Missing Children’s Day.
Alice’s legacy is woven into the very fabric of our mission. Each time a child is safeguarded, and each time a family finds hope, we feel her influence. She showed us what one person’s commitment can achieve—and her example continues to guide and inspire us today.