An Aurora fifth grade student submitted a poster that represented Colorado as part of the National Missing Children’s Day campaign sponsored by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Emilina Varga, from the AXL Academy in Aurora, submitted a creative and colorful poster featuring a child holding a teddy bear while family and friends mourn the missing child. Colorado’s winning artwork was part of the DOJ national poster contest held in late April.

“Making the decision to determine the winning poster in Colorado was an extremely difficult task,” said CBI Director Michael Rankin. “In addition to Emilina’s detailed artwork, her accompanying essay discussing the importance of reuniting families around the globe is a powerful statement about this critical issue.”

The CBI and the DOJ commemorate the valiant and unselfish acts of the many organizations and individuals who bring missing children home. Colorado will honor the top three poster winners at two separate events to mark Missing Children’s Day in May. The CBI has events planned for Aurora on May 25, and at the CBI Pueblo Regional Office on May 31. The DOJ will feature the national poster contest winner at an event in Washington DC on May 25, 2017.

Tens of thousands of children are reported missing in the United States each year. Law enforcement, citizens, and even children have been instrumental in keeping children safe and returning them home to their families, communities and schools.

Colorado law enforcement received nearly 9,000 reports of missing children in 2016. The reports were primarily for runaways, and were resolved within a few days or weeks. As of January 1, 2017, there were 118 cases of long-term missing (those missing three years or more) juvenile cases still active in Colorado.