Dear Absent Ones,

No matter whether you disappeared under accidental or suspicious circumstances, or whether you wanted us to lose you, you may have heard news that Samantha Koenig, an 18-year-old Anchorage woman, has joined you outside of Alaska's ken.

Authorities believe Samantha was abducted. Police say a parking lot surveillance video shows her acting distressed and leaving the drive-through coffee stand she works at with an unidentified man on the night of Feb. 1. But that's the last time her whereabouts were known.

Authorities have been keeping details of their investigation close to the vest. The last word was that a new, positive development has occurred in the case, though an Anchorage Police Department spokesperson was vague about what it might be.

We're sure some of you can relate, and we're sorry you can, but cases like Samantha's are sensitive. Excessive attention to her presumed captors could put her life in danger and divulging too much could hamper an investigation. Nevertheless, news of her disappearance spread far and wide, even internationally.

Friends and family and concerned strangers have been conducting their own searches of the area around where Samantha was last seen.

Samantha's father, James Koenig, who has been giving interviews to media outlets all around the country, briefly hired a private investigator. A bank account has been opened to accept donations coming in from all over Anchorage, and far beyond, to fund a reward for information leading to her safe return. At last tally, the money being offered was more than $41,000, but Mr. Koenig has said he has gotten too weary and too busy to keep track of the total lately. A candlelight vigil is being planned for Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in Anchorage's Town Square. Even a psychic has offered to help look for Samantha.

What about the other missing Alaskans?

We The Concerned are very worried about Samantha, and we hope she comes home very soon. But we have also become very concerned about you who have been missing for so long you have faded from public attention.

We hope you're not upset that her case is getting so much attention after yours have largely faded. The first days after someone goes missing are critical, hence the urgency. Maybe posters were put up for some of you. Maybe rewards were offered. But we're sad when we think how many of you must've vanished without much fanfare. The hard, statistical truth is that a person's chances of being found alive decrease with each day missing. And many Alaskans go missing.

Public information on you is difficult to come by. But Alaska State Troopers maintain a database, the Missing Persons Clearinghouse, to keep track of every person who is reported missing in Alaska, no matter the circumstances. Public bulletins are issued about some names that persist in the database, especially if the person missing is believed to be in danger or if foul play is suspected, but the information is largely confidential and just for use by law enforcement agencies.

Trooper spokesperson Megan Peters tells The Concerned that in 2011 alone, 2,071 names were entered in the clearinghouse. And contrary to what you might think about dangerous Alaska and adventuresome Alaskans, the majority weren't search-and-rescue operations. That year, just a little less than 3 percent of missing persons report were related to people thought to be lost in the wilderness. Missing adults were the second largest component, at almost 29 percent. But you may be surprised that a fraction less than 68 percent of the cases were minors reported as runaways.