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Tips For Parents Tips for parents if your child is missing Child safety tips to prevent abductions. IF YOUR CHILD IS MISSING 1.      The first few hours are critical.  These shocking statistics tell the cold, hard truth:  90% of all children abducted by strangers are sexually assaulted, then released by their abductor.  Less than 3% of abducted children are murdered.  However, a Washington State study of 621 stranger abductions that ended in murder showed that 74% of the children were killed within the first three hours of their abduction.  91% of the children were killed within the first 24 hours.

2.      Immediately call or go to your local law enforcement agency (police or sheriff) and file a missing persons report.  In most states, when a child is missing and believed to be in danger, there is no 24-hour waiting period.

3.      Bring the most recent photo of the child, along with the child’s fingerprints, hair sample, blood type, and physical description including a description of the clothes the child was wearing.  Ideally, the color photo should be a head and shoulder portrait pose in 3” x 5” size (or larger), or a digital photo in 640 x 480 resolution in a JPEG or TIFF format.

          Download a Child Identification Kit

4.      If your local law enforcement agency participates in the Amber Plan, ask whether your child’s disappearance qualifies for an Amber Alert to local news media using the Emergency Alert System.  Each state or regional Amber Plan program has developed its own activation criteria and procedures.

          More info about Amber Alert criteria

5.      Ask if your local law enforcement agency participates in the Technology to Recover Abducted Kids (TRAK) system or has similar equipment capability to scan your child’s photo into a digital JPEG or TIFF format that can be e-mailed to other law enforcement agencies in your area.

          More info about the TRAK system

6.      Ask your local law enforcement agency to enter information about your missing child into the National Crime Information Center computer’s Missing Person File (NCIC-MPF). 

7.      Your local law enforcement agency should make an NCIC Missing Person report about your missing child. It is important that your missing child be listed in the NCIC. If the entry is not made, you can contact your state Missing Child Clearinghouse for assistance in having your missing child listed in the NCIC-MPF database.

          Find the website for your State Clearinghouse

8.      You can also contact your local FBI office and request that they enter your child into the NCIC-MPF database.

9.      Report the child missing to the toll-free hotline of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-843-5678.  The National Center can issue e-mail alerts about your missing child, distribute posters with your child’s photo and information nationwide, and provide support and other resources to your family. 

10.    Contact other non-profit missing child organizations and state clearinghouses in adjacent states.  Register your missing child and find out what other search assistance and support services they can provide. 

For example, the Laura Recovery Center Foundation can provide a Manual on how local law enforcement, family, and community volunteers can organize and conduct a coordinated search for the missing child using a Mobile Recovery Center.

          Download the Laura Recovery Center Manual

11.    Flag your child’s school records, birth certificate, and medical records, and ask to be notified if anyone requests a copy.

12.    Contact the U.S. State Department’s Passport Office (Office of Citizen Appeals and Legal Assistance, Passport Services)    at 202-647-0518 in case the suspect tries to apply for a passport to leave the country with your child.

CHILD SAFETY TIPS TO PREVENT ABDUCTIONS 1.      Keep current identification of each child (such as a recent photo, video, fingerprints, hair sample, blood type, identifying marks, and physical description) in a safe, accessible place           Download a Child Identification Kit 2.      Know how to obtain your child’s dental x-rays and medical records 3.      Know your neighbors and your child’s friends, including their names, addresses, and telephone numbers.

4.      Know the routes your child takes to and from school, friends’ homes, and other activities.

5.      Be involved in your child’s activities by volunteering at school, clubs, and sporting events; participate in a neighborhood watch program.

6.      Before leaving your child in the care of a day care, pre-school, baby sitter, or youth organization, check their references and qualifications.  Ask if criminal background checks are conducted before new staff members are hired.

7.      Write your police chief, sheriff, and other elected officials, in support of the Amber Plan, police missing person programs, and other child safety efforts; write the general managers of your local radio and TV stations in support of the Amber Plan and the Emergency Alert System.

8.      Review the websites of Missing Child Organizations for volunteer opportunities, such as e-mailing or distributing posters of missing children.

          More info about the Missing Child Poster Partner Program

9.      Teach your child what to do if approached by a stranger.  Common ruses are offering a ride, gifts, or candy, asking the child to help them look for a lost dog or cat, or claiming that the child’s parent has asked them to bring the child home because of an emergency.        

10.    Listen to your child; don’t disregard their fears.  Instead, let them know that you take their fears and concerns seriously.

Updated July 17, 2001