In Darlington, the police are increasingly concerned for the safety of 12-year-old Joshua, who has stormed off after a row with his mum and seemingly disappeared. Prone to escaping into a superhero-inspired world of fantasy, Joshua's learning difficulties and trusting nature make him especially vulnerable, and as the minutes become hours, and as darkness falls, fears mount. It is down to Inspector Sarah Honeyman and her team to try to find Joshua. In a rural town in County Durham, the alarm is raised when 13-year-old Katie disappears from home leaving behind a suicide note. All available officers are immediately scrambled to the search, and a search dog and handler from the local Mountain Rescue team is drafted in - but budget cuts mean police helicopters are more thinly stretched than ever, and with the local one tied up on a firearms job, there is an agonising wait to try to get vital air support. PC Matt Gunby, whose job it is to wait with the family, knows it doesn't get any more serious than this.

Just six weeks after his wedding 28-year-old Darren vanishes, leaving Inspector Simon Orton and the team at Durham Police baffled. As detectives dig deeper into events leading up to Darren's disappearance, they uncover secrets and lies.

When Peter checks on his 82-year-old father at home one morning as normal, he finds the house empty. Suffering from advancing dementia, Archie has vanished leaving no sign of where he might be.

In Macclesfield, Cheshire Police are baffled by a father's report of a missing child, as his mother claims he does not exist. On the other side of Cheshire in Runcorn, 16 year old Patrick has disappeared and left his mum Victoria an ominous note.

One winter morning, 49 year old George Richardson walks out of his home in Crewe. He tells his wife he is going to the job centre but instead he vanishes. It is the job of inspector Daryn Wilcox and the team at Crewe Police to find him.

Cheshire Police launch a large-scale search when 77-year-old Jean mysteriously vanishes after leaving home to go to a doctor's appointment. As the investigation develops, they leave no stone unturned, calling in the services of Cheshire Search and Rescue volunteers, the National Police Air Service and the North West Police Underwater Search & Marine Unit.

Cheshire Police launch a major search operation for the missing 40-year-old Michael Price, but, as the weeks turn into months, the passing time proves torturous for his loved ones and they remain in limbo and frustrated at the lack of developments. Underwater Search, NPAS helicopters and specialist search resources check every nook and cranny of his home town of Northwich to no avail, and a number of potential phoned-in sightings from members of the public just add to the mystery.

It's a Sunday evening when Cheshire Police get a call from Mark Moran of the Veterans Association, a charity. The charity's founder, former soldier Mark Smith, has not been seen for almost 24 hours, following an argument with his wife Denise.

Eighty-three-year-old John only turned his back for a moment while buying some parsley, but that was long enough for his wife Sheila, who has dementia, to disappear from his sight and into the busy streets of Gloucester town centre at lunchtime.

It's late at night when 25-year-old Oli calls Gloucestershire Police. His father, Michael, has missed an appointment with his mental health worker, and no-one knows where he is. Michael is known to be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.

Thirty-seven-year-old Aaron hasn't been seen for two months and is reported missing by the Gloucester homeless healthcare centre that usually treats him. Officers scour the streets and homeless shelters of Gloucester but can find no trace of him.

Police mount urgent searches for two vulnerable autistic young men. Eighteen-year-old Matthew has missed his usual bus home, while 29-year-old Luke has disappeared from his care home.

Police concern mounts for two men at risk of exploitation. Fifty-eight-year-old Gavin has vanished after giving away money, while a student has disappeared after joining a mysterious church.

Police hunt for two missing women who are both at risk of harm from abusive ex-partners.