Behind the search: Hope Alive 845 gives missing-person cases another set of eyes
The Hudson Valley nonprofit works alongside families and police to help find missing teens and adults — while its founder pushes for changes he says could strengthen missing-person investigations.
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When someone goes missing, their loved ones are often desperate for answers — and desperate to bring them home.
That’s where Hope Alive 845 comes in.
The Hudson Valley-based nonprofit focuses specifically on missing-person cases, working alongside families and law enforcement across the region and Catskills to provide another resource when a search requires time, attention and follow-up.
News 12 went behind the scenes with founder Domingo Ramos at the group’s office in Fallsburg, Sullivan County, where much of that work happens.
Ramos spends hours investigating cases, researching leads and getting the word out about missing people through social media and regular podcasts. He also works with a team of volunteers who research cases, circulate missing-person flyers, follow tips and assist with searches in the field.
Ramos, a former private investigator, says Hope Alive 845 is not meant to replace police. Its mission is to support families and law enforcement by providing another set of eyes — and additional time and resources — to keep missing-person cases moving.
“These families need help and they don’t know where to go to and we are that resource for them,” Ramos said.
That work took Ramos and volunteer Julian Martinez to Liberty on Monday, where News 12 followed them as they searched for siblings Lariah Uhl, 17, and Arthur Uhl, 15. Both are from Liberty and have been missing since Aug. 19.
Ramos and Martinez drove through areas where they believed the teens could have been seen, showed their photographs to people and asked if anyone recognized them.
Many of Hope Alive 845’s cases involve runaway teens. Others involve adults in crisis, people with mental health concerns or disappearances that could be connected to a crime.
Ramos says Hope Alive 845 has worked on more than 5,000 cases since it started in 2022.
“This year alone we had 113 and we brought home 107,” Ramos said.
Among the higher-profile cases connected to the organization is the disappearance of Shaniece Harris. Ramos first worked on the case as a private investigator before starting Hope Alive 845. Harris, a Sullivan County woman, disappeared in 2017. Her remains were recovered eight years later in a federal homicide case.
More recently, Hope Alive 845 helped search for a missing 16-year-old from New Windsor who was later found safe. An adult man was subsequently arrested on charges including rape and promoting a sexual performance by a child.
The organization also remains involved in unresolved cases, including the searches for Matthew Russo, who was last seen in Harris in June 2023, and Marvin Cornell Gibbs, who disappeared from the Loch Sheldrake area in March 1985.
But Ramos says searching for missing people is only part of the challenge.
He says he has been pushing for a change in how missing adults are reported. Ramos says his proposal would require police departments to open a missing-person case when an adult is reported missing rather than leave that decision to discretion in some circumstances.
Ramos says he has discussed the proposal with county and state lawmakers but has seen no movement on it.
“It’s never been touched. It’s just sitting there,” Ramos said.
He also says nonprofit organizations dedicated to missing-person cases need more support from government officials and agencies.
“There is no support,” Ramos said. “We’ve reached out to many and they never responded back. We invited them to our events. They failed to show up.”
Ramos says he believes missing-person policies should be consistent from one police department to another.
“I feel every department should have the same policy,” Ramos said. “It doesn’t matter how old they are, what color they are.”
News 12 has calls out to county and state officials for more information about Ramos’ proposed legislation, where those discussions currently stand and a response to his concerns.
Hope Alive 845 provides its services to families at no cost.
More information about the organization, its current missing-person cases and ways to submit information can be found at:https://hopealive845.com
