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Seen At 11: New Technology Aims To Find Those Who Vanished Long Ago

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New technology may help generate leads in cold missing-persons cases.

As CBS 2's Maurice DuBois reported, new computer-generated images show what people who vanished many years might look like today.

For example, 30 years ago, Lila Quintons' 11-year-old son, Kirk, disappeared during a trip to a store just two blocks from his Bronx home. His family still searches for him, looking for any clues.

"It is a pain that never goes away 'cause you think about it all the time," Quintons said.

Kirk Quintons
Kirk Quintons went missing in 1983 at age 11. (credit: Handout)

"I don't think of him as a man yet," she said. "I still have my vision of him as when he was 11."

New technology shows what Kirk might look like now, at 41 years old.

"It looks like me a little -- a younger, better-looking me, I guess," said Darryl Quintons, one of Kirk's five brothers.

Kirk Quintons
A computer-generated image of what Kirk Quintons might look like at age 41. (credit: CBS 2)

Robert Lowery Jr., of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said leads in cases such as Kirk's are drying up, and memories are fading.

"But it's good to remind folks that we do find children all the time that have been missing for many, many years," he said.

There have been some astonishing recoveries. Jaycee Dugard was missing for 18 years when she was finally found in southern California. Carlina White, kidnapped from a New York hospital as a baby, found her way back to her parents after 23 years. And most recently, three women in Cleveland were freed after being held captive for a decade.

Stories like theirs give the Quintonses hope.

"Kirk, if you can hear us, we're still here looking for you," Darryl Quintons said.

The NYPD said all missing-persons cases remain open and active, including Kirk Quintons'.

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