STATISTICS

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Abductions

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I remember thinking, "our son's been murdered, and now we've got to be the ones to do something about it." It was a sad thing for this country that the fight had to be led by two broken-down parents of a murdered child. But we had to, because no else was going to do it.
- "Tears of Rage," John and Reve Walsh

• A study examined 403 attempted kidnappings by strangers or slight acquaintances that were reported by police or news media in 45 states from February 2005 to July 2006. It was conducted to learn how such attempts are foiled. The study did not look at successful abductions. Six in ten victims fought back and escaped, according to the ongoing study's initial findings. Three in ten ran away before any physical contact, and about 10% were saved when an adult nearby intervened.
- National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, USA Today 9/06/06

• The words "missing child" call to mind tragic and frightening kidnappings reported in the national news. But a child can be missing for many reasons, and the problem of missing children is far more complex than the headlines suggest. This October 2002 report by the NISMART provides an overview on this cruicial topic.
- US DOJ, National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children, October 2002

• Kidnapping is widely recognized to involve very different dynamics and motives depending on the identity of the perpetrators and age of the victim. This June 2000 report by the NIBRS provides an overview of Juvenile Kidnapping Patterns, as well as statistics regarding Three Types of Perpetrators, Victim Age Patterns, Location, Additional Offenses, Weapon Usage, and Time of Day.
- Juvenile Justice Bullentin, June 2000

• Data analyzed for 1999: That year, 115 stereotypical kidnappings were reported - ones in which children were abducted by strangers or barely known acquaintances, taken more than 50 miles, detained at least overnight or held for ransom. Half were sexually assaulted, and 40% were killed.

A much large number of children, about 58,000, were taken that year for shorter periods of time, mostly by people they knew but not relatives. In those cases, nearly half were sexually assaulted; fewer than 1% were killed. Nearly two-thirds were girls, mostly teens.
- David Finkelhor, Director of the Crimes Against Children Research center at the University of new Hampshire in conjunction with the United States Federal Justice Department.

• About one child is slain per 10,000 missing child reports.
- 1990 U.S. Justice Dept.

• In 80% of abductions by strangers, the first contact occurs within a quarter mile of the child's home. In many cases, the abduction does, too.
- 1990 U.S. Justice Dept.

• Most strangers grab their victims on the street or try to lure them into their vehicles.
- 1990 U.S. Justice Dept.

• About 74% of the victims of nonfamily child abduction are girls.
- 1990 U.S. Justice Dept.

• There are about 5700 active cases carried in the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's computerized files
- Smithsonian, Oct. 95.

• In 1988 there were as many as 114,600 attempted abductions of children by non-family members, 4,600 abductions by non-family members reported to police, and 300 abductions by non-family members where the children were gone for long periods of time or were murdered. There were as many as 354,000 children abducted by family members, 450,700 children who ran away, 127,100 children who were thrown away, and 438,200 children who were lost, injured or otherwise missing.
- 1990 U.S. Justice Dept.

• Each year 3,600 to 4,200 children are abducted by someone outside the family; 1/2 of them are age 12 or older; 2/3 are female; at least 19% of these abductors are not strangers to their victims-Finklehor, p. 10. *The chance of a minor being kidnapped by a stranger is 1 in 560, by a family member 1 in 180.
- Discover Magazine as reported by Gannett News Service 5/28/96.

• In a recent study of parents' worries by pediatricians at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, nearly 3/4 of parents said they feared their children might be abducted. 1/3 of parents said this was a frequent worry-a degree of fear greater than that held for any other concern, including car accidents, sports injuries, or drug addiction.
- Redbook, February 1998

• More than 1/5 of the children reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in nonfamily abductions are found dead.
- Smithsonian, Oct. 95.

• More than 750,000 children were reported to police and entered into the FBI's national crime computer in 1993-more than 2,000 missing children a day.
- Associated Press, 9/8/94.