( CNN ) -- Miracles do happen . Like this week , when Amanda Berry , Georgina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped their captor after being missing for a decade . It turned out they were locked away and alive the entire time . Their fortuitous escape is like a ray of light and reminds us that sometimes good things do happen . A cry for help came out from the walls of silence , and a member of the community responded , aiding in the rescue . The selfless act of a total stranger only reinforces that the public will help when needed . But their story is unusual . Many missing persons who have been missing for a long time are still not found . We should urge all communities to play an integral part in assisting law enforcement in investigations about missing persons . We live in a world filled with powerful technology that has enabled us to communicate faster and better , yet we seem to lack the simple face-to-face meeting that must take place when searching for clues and information in any type of investigation . At-a-glance : Still missing in the U.S . The old `` knock and tell '' method remains an effective tool today . It must be used when searching for our missing persons . When you talk to someone in person , you can read them better by registering their expressions , gestures and other factors . Sometimes , those things could yield clues . This door-to-door technique can make the difference in finding someone in hours , days or years . There 's no doubt that trying to find missing persons requires a tremendous amount of work . Classifying cases as `` runaways '' or `` walk-aways '' does nothing to help the outcome of any given case . If anything , it could hinder and slow the process . The general public normally will not have a heightened sense of concern for those believed to have left on their own . The sense of urgency and hitting the ground running from the start could be the difference in many missing person cases . A case can be misdiagnosed upon closing ; this is when we confirm that the labeling provided a wrong direction . The word `` missing '' should be enough and important ; the alert ( s ) system in place such as the Amber/silver provide an additional emergency notification seeking the public 's help . The myth of `` a waiting period '' to report a missing person still lingers , and many families are turned away by officials and forced to begin their journey on their own without any direction or support . Due to heavy caseloads , law enforcement officials are frequently not afforded the continuous training and education that could help them in the search for a missing person . Abused but alive : Lessons from survivors . All too often , information is not provided to victims suffering a missing loved one in the onset , such as where to file the report and what agencies can provide support services and help with advocacy and on-the-ground services . These are all key issues that need to be addressed as we move forward to bring home those missing in our country . Cold cases and unidentified persons need to be revisited and reopened . All cold cases need to be updated and looked at again with a keen eye on what can be done to aid in a recovery . As we rejoice in the happy ending for the three women and their families and friends , we need to be reminded that there is still much work to be done in the world of the missing . We need to remember that there are thousands of people who are still seeking resolution and waiting for answers concerning their loved one . As a community , we need to come together , take notice and become aware of what happens in our homes , neighborhoods , towns and cities . And we need to always remember that `` every missing person is somebody 's child . '' The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Monica Caison .
Monica Caison : « Caison : Many missing persons who have been missing for a long time are not found . She says the old `` knock and tell '' method can make the difference in finding someone . Caison : Communities can do more to assist law enforcement in investigations .