Mertcan Cakmak missing child: Police request public help in locating 12-year old Farmingville boy

On Monday, March 13, Suffolk authorities were alerted that 12-year-old Farmingville boy Mertcan Cakmak had gone missing overnight.

As per The Daily Voice, Mertcan Cakmak was reported missing just before 6 am, when a family member last saw him on a bicycle, leaving his home in Farmingville's Waverley Avenue. Investigators reported that the pre-teen could be heading towards Bronx.

According to Long Island News, Mertcan Cakmak weighs approximately 150 pounds and is 5 foot 5 inches tall with braces, light brown hair, and a scar above his eye. He was last seen wearing ripped jeans and a dark sweatshirt.

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Authorities announce a new program in the search for Mertcan Cakmak

When announcing the disappearance of Mertcan Cakmak, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said that officials have launched a new program to handle missing persons cases. Harrison said that several community ambassadors would be assigned the role of handing out flyers across Suffolk County.

Laura Mullen, a Suffolk County local who was once a human trafficking survivor, said that the new search initiatives are crucial. She told Pix11 that the County authorities are not only searching for recent missing victims, but also those who disappeared years ago. Mullen added:

"I think what Suffolk County is doing now is just the beginning of what they should have been doing years ago."

Mullen said it is important that old cases resurface since many forgotten missing persons become victims of human trafficking. She said:

“And they’re giving you drugs. Then you’re in debt bondage with them and that’s how I ended up locked in a basement in Central Islip for a weekend."

Deputy Inspector Sean Beran told Pix11 reporters that human trafficking is certainly a consideration for authorities during missing persons cases, though it is not necessarily an immediate concern in the disappearance of Mertcan Cakmak at the moment. Sean Beran said:

“But that’s one element. We have a Human Trafficking Unit. If we need to bring them in to collaboratively investigate, that’s what we do.”

Beran added that there are multiple reasons why a person can go missing. He said that with social media, search initiatives are now easier, and they can continue to spread awareness.

As of now, community ambassadors around Suffolk County are continuing to hand out flyers in the search for Cakmak and several other residents who have disappeared in the past.

According to News Break, Beran announced that they have also launched a 'Missing Monday' initiative, where they will post about past cases. This Monday, authorities posted about Michelle Ghosh, an Indian woman who disappeared while receiving treatment at a Suffolk Hospital in 2017, while she was on vacation.