Family praises Wenatchee Police’s new missing‑person questionnaire; officers trained

Denise McBurnie, the mother of missing man Travis Coleman, told the Wenatchee City Council during citizen comments that Detective Hewitt developed a two‑page missing‑person questionnaire that has been linked to the Wenatchee Police Department policy manual and that department officers have received training on using it.

McBurnie said the questionnaire standardizes how officers collect information and prioritize searches. “Everyone who goes missing is a child of someone. Their worth is priceless, and every family should be treated with respect and dignity,” she told the council.

She described the tool as an information‑gathering form followed by checklists for locations searched and evidence collected, then a “search urgency chart” — a scoring matrix that assigns 1–3 points for categories such as age, medical condition, number of subjects, weather, terrain and hazardous profile. Scores from 8–11 indicate an emergency response, 12–16 a measured response, and 17–21 “evaluate and investigate,” McBurnie said; she added that a score of 1 in any category can trigger an emergency response. She said her son Travis’s answers would have put him in the emergency range.

McBurnie said the questionnaire also includes a classification section (for example, “endangered” and “suspicious”) and a response plan with duties for officers and supervisors so cases are handled consistently. She credited Detective Hewitt with creating the form, linking it to the department’s policy manual and training each officer on its use. She also said Sergeant Eaton is now supervisor over the detective unit and that additional changes are planned.

The remarks were made during the meeting’s public comment period; council members did not take action on the matter during the session.