Missing Children

     Rockland County Sheriff's
    Computer Crime
       Task Force

Missing Children

Facts on Missing Children

Non-Family Abductions
2002 Statistics

Unreported to police: 114,600

Reported to police: 3200 to 4600

Abductions are defined as:

The coerced and unauthorized taking of a child into a building, a vehicle, or a distance of more than 20 feet.
The detention of a child for a period of more than 1 hour.
The luring of a child for the purpose of committing another crime.

Findings Based on the Above Statistics

Unreported to police: Children aged 4-11 experienced most of the attempts.

Reported to the police:

Almost half of the victims were 12 and over;
74% were girls;
62% of the perpetrators were strangers;
19% were acquaintances;

52% were removed from the street;
46% were taken to a vehicle;

87% were taken by force;
75% taken by force had a gun involvement;

8% of all cases had a request for ransom.

100 Children are Abducted and Murdered Each Year.

75% are Dead Within the First 3 Hours