Last week’s Philadelphia, PA parental abduction of Julia Rakoczy by her mother Bonnie Sweeten made national headlines and has parents wondering how to keep their child safe from a similar fate. As a private investigator I have been recovering children for over 18 years. Based on my experience here are my top 10 tips for keeping your child safe:
1. Communicate your fears with the local police department and ask them to speak to the other parent about the legal consequences of kidnapping
2. Inform child care providers and school administrators of the potential event
3. Make sure your child knows his/her address and telephone
4. Know your child’s schedule at all times and consider a using a tracking device
5. Maintain a list of personal information concerning the other parent and your child
6. It’s important to include abduction prevention provisions in the custody order
7. Be sure to file a copy of the custody order with the appropriate court of the other parent’s state of residence
8. Carefully document and report any harassing behavior on the part of the other parent, including threats to abduct your child. Communicate this information with the local police or district attorney
9. Inform the US Passport Office that your child should not be allowed to leave the country without your consent
10. Contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for additional assistance
All parents teach their children about 'stranger-danger' and even the youngest of children know not to talk to, or go anywhere with a 'stranger.' But, did you know 82% of missing children run away with a friend or relative? And, 21% of parents and caretakers know where the kids have been?
In 1983 President Reagan proclaimed May 25 as National Missing Children’s Day. Every parent wishes that day didn’t exist. Since 1984 the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has assisted law enforcement with more than 148,160 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 132,300 children. More than half of these cases are runaways and parental abductions.
If the other parent abducts a child, there is frequently a crucial time lapse. Unlike other abductions, you know who has your child you just don’t know where. The hesitation to contact the authorities can be a huge mistake leading to weeks and months of searching before the child is recovered.
According to the Office of Justice Programs, statistics show the first three hours after a child's abduction are most critical to recovery efforts. With the success of the AMBER Alert, they have initiated a voluntary partnership between the United States Department of Justice, the wireless industry, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), to distribute AMBER Alerts to wireless subscribers who opt in to receive the messages and are able to receive text messages on their wireless devices.
Contacting the police, the NCMEC and activating the AMBER Alert can all lead to the quick and safe recovery of a child. The longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes to locate a missing child. You need to become your child’s biggest advocate and take decisive action. Nobody else is going to do it for you. Always keep in mind that nobody will have a bigger interest in the child than you do as the parent. Your swift and decisive actions can make all the difference in the world.
About the author:
David Almeida, author of Abducted Dreams, is a member of the Licensed Private Detective's Association of Massachusetts (LPDAM) and has been the president of Bay State Detective Agency since 1992. He began his career working for private attorneys doing skip traces, asset searches, and civil litigation support. He also worked for the Public Defenders Office in Boston’s Suffolk County in criminal defense investigations for felonies such as rape, robbery and murder. Almeida received a degree in Criminal Justice from Southern Vermont College and currently lives in Beverly, MA.
