On Sunday night, parents and children watched in horror as an 8-year-old girl was snatched from a swing at a Tulsa apartment complex. Although there were several witnesses, information was scarce. Witnesses identified the suspect's car as a "possibly white" Ford Focus, but the Amber Alert described the vehicle as a white sport utility vehicle. The suspect's car was actually a silver Focus.
Despite this lack of information, police were able to apprehend the suspect and find his victim alive approximately 7 hours after her ordeal began. Because an alert store clerk followed his hunch to report a man acting suspiciously who purchased little girls' clothing, law enforcement agents had a location in which to focus their search. Combined with a later report of a drunk driver in a Silver Ford Focus, the clerk's tip led to the capture of Michael Slatton, a convicted sex offender, drug user, and violent criminal who was just released from prison less than six months ago.
The little victim was not unharmed, but she was alive and reunited with her parents. Her story stands in stark contrast to that of 10-year-old Hailey Owens, a Missouri girl who was abducted in broad daylight in front of several adult witnesses. Witnesses attempted to prevent the kidnapping and even gave chase, but the suspect eluded them. Despite a clear description of the suspect, his vehicle, and even the license plate number, police were not able to track down Craig Michael Wood for another three hours. They found him at his own home only four miles away from the site where Hailey was abducted. By then, it was already too late.
According to the Polly Klaas Foundation, 99.8 percent of "missing" children come home. The overwhelming majority are children who simply got lost, did not communicate their plans to their parents, did not understand directions, or ran away. Of those who are abducted, most are kidnapped by noncustodial parents.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports that each year, approximately 200,000 children are abducted by noncustodial parents. About 58,000 children are taken by a non-relative whom the victim knows. Only a small portion--only 115--are random abductions by strangers. Each year, approximately 100 children are murdered in a child abduction.
A report by the United States Department of Justice and the Washington state Attorney General explores child abduction homicides with an eye on understanding and preventing these crimes. The report describes the necessity of responding quickly to missing children reports:
"Fast action is necessary since, 1) there is typicallyover a two hour delay in making the initial missingchild report (60%), and 2) the vast majority (74%) ofthe abducted children who are murdered are deadwithin three hours of the abduction."
Note that the statistics do not say that nearly two-thirds of all children who are abducted by strangers are murdered within three hours; it says that nearly two-thirds of abducted children who are murdered are killed within three hours. Even so, that a little girl in Tulsa was abducted by a stranger and found alive nearly seven hours later seems almost miraculous. It shows the importance of quick response by witnesses and the importance of trusting your instinct if you see something that seems amiss. Had it not been for the nagging feeling of an unidentified Dollar General clerk, and his or her decision to report the concern, a Tulsa family might not be rejoicing at their reunion with their lost little girl.
