Child Abduction and Kidnapping

by O'Brien, Susan; French, John L.

• ISBN13: 9780791094037
• ISBN10: 0791094030
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-07-01
• Publisher: Facts on File

Summary

Few crimes are as frightening as kidnapping. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that more than 250,000 children are abducted each year, with the majority taken by a family member or someone the child knows. Although most abducted children are returned home or located alive, there are some shocking kidnappings each year that do not end well. The police and the public must act quickly when an abduction occurs. Child Abduction and Kidnapping looks at the history of abductions in the United States and explains the types of abductions, with a focus on landmark cases. The book details government, police, and public efforts to prevent and solve kidnappings and explains special programs such as the AMBER Alert system used to rapidly spread news of an abduction. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 9
Introduction	p. 13
Preliminary Investigation: Asking Questions, Finding Answers	p. 23
The AMBER Alert: Communities on the Case	p. 35
Family Abduction: Surprising Suspects	p. 43
Infant Abduction: The Youngest Victims	p. 51
Supportive Organizations: Experts on Call	p. 57
Recovery: Healing and Hope	p. 67
Prevention: Use What You Know	p. 75
The Internet: Protection through Privacy	p. 83
The Adult Victim: Someone's Child	p. 93
Chronology	p. 99
Endnotes	p. 103
Glossary	p. 112
Bibliography	p. 115
Further Resources	p. 125
Index	p. 128
About the Author	p. 134
About the Consulting Editor	p. 135
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

The U.S. Department of Justice reports that more than 250,000 children are abducted each year, with the majority taken by a family member or someone they know. Others are non-family abductions, in which a child is taken for motives ranging from ransom to stealing a child to start a family. Child Abduction and Kidnapping explains the types of kidnappings, details government and law enforcement efforts to prevent and solve them, and explores the many practices and programs, such as the AMBER Alert, now in place to help protect children.
Chapters include:
The AMBER Alert: Communities on the Case
Family Abduction: Surprising Suspects
Infant Abduction: The Youngest Victims
The Internet: Protection through Privacy
Supportive Organizations: Experts on Call.
Cases covered include:
Amber Hagerman
Megan Kanka
Charles Lindbergh Jr.
Etan Patz
Charles and Walter Ross
Elizabeth Smart
Laura Smither
Adam Walsh
Kacie Woody.