August 28th, 2009Missing Child Statistics
As a parent, the worst possible thought I could imagine is the loss of one of my children. I can’t even conceive of the kind of grief that must consume a parent who has lost one. Did you know that a child is reported missing every 40 seconds? For the parent of a child who has disappeared, the worst part is not knowing whether or not your child is dead or alive. According to the Department of Justice, 44% of the cases of children who have been abducted by a stranger end tragically within the first hour. The number climbs to 74% by the third hour, and a staggering 91% end tragically after 24 hours.
Held Captive for 18 Years
Today I heard of the finding of Jaycee Lee Dugard, an 11 year old who was abducted on June 10, 1991, 18 years ago, while waiting at a school bus stop outside her home. Her stepfather witnessed a car pull up next to her and grab her, pulling her inside. He tried chasing down the car on his mountain bike, but was unable to track them down and immediately yelled for a neighbor to call 911. For many years, he was considered the main suspect in her disappearance. Although her story was featured on “America’s Most Wanted,” I had never heard of Jaycee before today. When I heard of her story, I was touched by its happy ending, but saddened at the same time with the horrendous ordeal she endured.
A Survivor
Despite all odds, Jaycee was found alive and in relatively good physical health, living in tents and sheds in the backyard of her kidnapper’s house in Antioch, CA, not far from her parent’s South Lake Tahoe home. What nightmares might be buried inside her I won’t even try to imagine. Phillip Garrido, 58, a registered sex offender, and his wife, Nancy, 54, kept her in an area hidden from the view of their neighbors and even the parole officer who had come to visit Garrido at his home. Throughout the course of her captivity, during which she was raped and held as a sex slave, she bore two children, both of which were fathered by Garrido. Her first child, born when she was 14, is now 15 years old, and her second child is 11 years old. Isolated from the outside world, the children never went to school or saw a doctor. The only people the children were said to have known beside their mother were Garrido and his wife.
A Ray Of Hope
The one silver lining in this story is that there is still hope for anyone whose child may still be missing. Even though 91% of cases over 24 hours old have of tragic endings, that still leaves 9% of them that can end happily. Keeping recent photos of your child along with a copy of their fingerprint and an updated list of distinguising features, such as scars or moles, can help aid law enforcement officials. This is vital because you will most likely be in a state of panic (I would be), and you may not remember certain identifying details. Report any disappearances immediately to local officials and the FBI.
I tell my kids to do whatever possible should a stranger try to approach them. I’ve told them not to talk to strangers, even strangers who need “help” finding their lost dog, child, etc. And when it comes to defending themselves against a stranger, I tell them to yell, kick, scream, bite — do whatever it takes to get away.
What kind of things have you done to protect your children? What ways have you taught them to defend themselves?
Related articles
Update On Jaycee Lee Dugard: Child Found After Being Abducted 18 Years Ago
Child Kidnapper Thwarted By 911 Caller
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What a horrible experience this poor child must have went through all these years!!
It’s good you tell your children different ways to help themselves if (God forbid) anything happened to them.
Another way for kids to protect themselves if someone pulls up in a car and trys to abduct them is for the child to run the opposite way the car is facing.
I agree with you that the child should scream,kick, punch,bite,etc. whatever it takes to get away.
I always keep an eye on my grandchildren even when they are in my backyard. You can’t be too protective.
That husband and wife are monsters!!!
Can’t imagine how that poor kidnapped girl and her children survived that torture for all those years.
So glad she was finally rescued!
Throw the book at those monsters!!
I know, what they did to her makes me sick to my stomach. I hope she is able to have some kind of normalcy in her and her children’s lives. I’m hoping the stories about her having Stockholm syndrome aren’t true, but I can’t say it would be totally surprising, given how young she was when she was taken and how long they kept her captive.
I am over joyed that this little girl/young lady was found. I will not fib but at first I was very jealous that it was her family that was able to enjoy the chance to start over. I also had a sister who disappeared back in 1981. But then my jealousy became joy and inspiration that maybe someday my sister will also be found alive. I am very happy for her and her daughters that they will now know the true meaning of family. I pray that all of the bad will be washed away and replaced with nothing but unconditional love. I have a feeling her family and her parents and siblings will need alot of prayers. I will pass on to everyone that I know to pray for them and to help them overcom the monsterous things that this evil people have done. But I would like to say thank you for giving me a little more hope in finding my sister. I will never give up on her just like her family never gave up on Jaycee. I hope like hell that this horriable person that did this will never see daylight again. He and his wife should have to suffer the way that they made this family suffer.
Jaycee and family I hope God will keep you and your family safe and happy from this day on, keep you chin held high. You are a very strong person and you have survived thru the worst storm of your life to come out on the otherside of the rainbow. You have two beautiful children of your own that will always love you, the way that you parents will always love you unconditionally. May God Bless you with nothing but happiness from this point on. Take care you are a hero in my eyes.
Penny, thank you for sharing your story with us. I hope and pray that your sister is out there somewhere, alive and well, and that you will see her again one day. It will be a big transition for Jaycee and her children, but she will have the love and support of her family to help her and her children get through it all. I join you in wishing Jaycee nothing but happiness. She deserves all that she can get after everything she’s gone through.
I can’t even begin to imagine not only what this poor young girl, her children or her family went through, but to other families like yours Penny. I know somehow God looks out for each and every one of us. We may not understand why things happen, but we must have faith and trust in our Lord. I will pray for your family too Penny. I admire your strength.