Child Abduction

Tips for Parents

By Gwen Morrison

Know where your child is at all times and who he is with. Instruct your children never to go with or get into a car with anyone unless you have given them direct permission to do so. As parents, it's our job to encourage our children to be alert, recognize, trust and follow their own instincts. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Unfortunately the statistics indicate that the number of missing persons reported to law enforcement has increased from more than 150,000 in 1982 to more than 870,000 in 2000. Eighty-five to 90 percent of those individuals reported missing were under the age of 18.

This is not encouraging for parents. If you discover that your child is missing, it is important that you act quickly. According to a report from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide, May 1998, the first 48 hours following a child's disappearance are the most critical in terms of finding and returning the child home safely.

The report gives the following advice on what to do if your child is missing:

• Report your child as missing to local law enforcement immediately. Ask investigators to enter your child into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Persons File.
• Request that law enforcement put out a "Be On the Look Out" (BOLO) bulletin.
• Limit access to your home until law enforcement arrives and has collected possible evidence. Do not remove anything from the home that may hold clues to your child's whereabouts.
• Ask for the name and telephone number of the law enforcement investigator assigned to your case.
• Give law enforcement investigators all the facts and circumstances related to the disappearance.


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