Runaway vs Missing
This is my first posting on my personal blog. You can see my professional blog at: www.shipwreckedproject.blogspot.com
Enough commercialization for now!
My most recent conundrum came in the form of an unexpected phone call. A friend's 13-year old daughter was missing. Could I help with getting information from the phone company to see who the daughter had been in contact with just before she went missing?
After 3 weeks, the girl was found in another state with an adult man who she met on the Internet. The girl's at home now, and the man's in jail. She was found by tracing a phone number that was seen repeatedly on the phone bill. Would have been nice to have that information 3 weeks sooner!
The parent's reported the girl as a runaway when she was first missed. She's run away a couple of times before, and the parents have been told by "experts" to report it each time. That helps protect them legally.
But because she had previous reports as a runaway, the police would not look for her. After a couple of days, one of her friends decided to speak with her parents. The friend said that she was with a 26-year old man. A neighbor also came forward and said that she saw the girl get into a white pick-up the day she went missing.
Even after the parents shared this new information with the police, they wouldn't change the girl's status from "runaway" to "missing." It makes all the difference in the world! With a missing child, an Amber alert could have been issued. With a missing child, all police in the region are notified and sent a picture.
My conundrum is this: Why does it matter if a child runs away or is kidnapped? In either case, that child is at risk of physical and psychological harm from adults.
Enough commercialization for now!
My most recent conundrum came in the form of an unexpected phone call. A friend's 13-year old daughter was missing. Could I help with getting information from the phone company to see who the daughter had been in contact with just before she went missing?
After 3 weeks, the girl was found in another state with an adult man who she met on the Internet. The girl's at home now, and the man's in jail. She was found by tracing a phone number that was seen repeatedly on the phone bill. Would have been nice to have that information 3 weeks sooner!
The parent's reported the girl as a runaway when she was first missed. She's run away a couple of times before, and the parents have been told by "experts" to report it each time. That helps protect them legally.
But because she had previous reports as a runaway, the police would not look for her. After a couple of days, one of her friends decided to speak with her parents. The friend said that she was with a 26-year old man. A neighbor also came forward and said that she saw the girl get into a white pick-up the day she went missing.
Even after the parents shared this new information with the police, they wouldn't change the girl's status from "runaway" to "missing." It makes all the difference in the world! With a missing child, an Amber alert could have been issued. With a missing child, all police in the region are notified and sent a picture.
My conundrum is this: Why does it matter if a child runs away or is kidnapped? In either case, that child is at risk of physical and psychological harm from adults.
posted by Diana Lindstrom @ Thursday, January 27, 2005
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