1st Edition

Investigating Missing Children Cases A Guide for First Responders and Investigators

By Donald F. Sprague Copyright 2013
    314 Pages 6 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    314 Pages
    by Routledge

    Time is an abducted child’s worst enemy. Seventy-four percent of abducted children who are murdered are killed within three hours of their abduction. It takes, on the average, two hours for a parent to report a child missing. This gives responders only one hour to get an investigation up and running in an attempt to locate and recover the child alive. Investigating Missing Children Cases: A Guide for First Responders and Investigators provides a solid training guide on missing children investigative techniques, enabling law enforcement professionals to respond confidently with a plan of action that offers the best possible chance for a positive outcome.

    The book provides law enforcement agencies with the most current information available to guide them through a missing or runaway child dispatch. It is designed to help investigators respond quickly, expeditiously evaluate the situation, conduct an Endangerment Risk Assessment (ERA) of the child, and commence a thorough, organized investigation—starting from the moment the police are contacted. By following the guidelines in this book, those tasked with these cases can make the best possible decisions in the shortest amount of time.

    The protocols and methodologies presented are based on personal police experience and statistical evidence from research and studies gathered from thousands of runaway and missing children cases. Details on those studies and their findings are provided in the appendix.

    Time is of the essence in missing children cases. Make every second count.

    Introduction and Background
    Missing Children Cases: The Seen and the Unseen
    Law Enforcement Attitude and Missing Children
    Society, Social Problems, Missing Children, and Law Enforcement
    How Will This Book Assist You?
    A Word on Liability
    The Problem
    Is It Perception or Is It Misperception?
    Criticisms of Law Enforcement’s Actions
    Training
    Give Them a Break
    The Victim and the Offender
    The Victim
    Developmental Perspective Theory
    Parents, Family Members, Friends, and Communities as Victims
    Types of Family Reactions to Missing Children or Abductions
    The Liaison
    The Community
    The Offender
    Federal and State Statutes: Runaway and Missing Children
    Know the Law
    Federal Statutes
    Federal Criminal and Civil Laws Regarding Missing and Abducted Children
    State Statues
    Missing Children Abduction Motives, Lures, and Tactics
    Motives for Abducting Children
    Child Abductor’s Lures
    Child Abductor Tactics
    Response and Initial Interview
    Response
    Initial Interview
    Missing Children Crime Scenes and Neighborhood Canvass
    The Importance of Immediately Identifying Crime Scenes of Missing Children
    Neighborhood Canvassing and Searching
    Missing Children Endangerment Risk Assessment (ERA)
    Getting the Information Out
    Overview of Law Enforcement Communications Systems and Missing Children
    Incident Command Center and Civilian Volunteers
    Incident Command Center
    Civilian Volunteers
    Long-Term and Cold Cases
    Reunification
    Team Approach
    The Response
    False Police Reports
    Runaways and Thrownaways
    First Responder/Investigator: Runaways (RAs)/Thrownaways (TAs)
    Runaways or Thrownaways Located and Returned
    A Story of a Runaway
    Breaking the Cycle of a Runaway/Thrownaway
    Characteristics and Traits of Runaways and Thrownaway Children
    Missing Benign Episode (MBE)
    Missing Involuntary, Lost, or Injured (MILI)
    Family Child Abduction (FCA)
    The Law
    The Victim (the Abducted Child)
    Law Enforcement’s Attitude
    International Family Child Abduction (IFCA)
    Inadequate Response Opinions from the Left-Behind Parent
    Local and State Police Agency Obstacles and IFCA
    Why the FBI and NCMEC?
    Low Priority
    The Victim
    The Abductor
    Nonfamily Child Abduction (NFCA)
    A Parent’s Worst Fear
    What Is Known About NFCA?
    Primary Nonfamily Child Abduction Motives,
    Difference between Nonfamily Child Abductions and
    Stereotypical Nonfamily Child Abductions
    Stereotypical Nonfamily Child Abduction (SNFCA)
    News Media
    Department Resources
    Primary Stereotypical Nonfamily Child Abduction Motives
    Infant Abduction (IA)
    Motive
    Abductor’s Four Stages of IA
    IAs in a Hospital Setting
    Most Common Characteristics of IAs in Hospital Settings
    IA in a Home Setting and Other Places
    Most Common Characteristics of IAs in Home Settings or Other Places
    Most Common Characteristics of an IA Victim
    Most Common Characteristics of an IA Abductor
    Investigative Considerations
    Internet Child Abduction (ICA)
    Technology
    Most Common Characteristics of an ICA Victim
    Most Common Characteristics of an ICA Offender
    Most Common Tactics of an ICA Offender:
    Investigation Considerations
    Human Sex Trafficking
    Human Sex Trafficking
    The Scope
    The Operation
    Law Enforcement Response and Investigation
    Patrol Officers/First Responders/Investigators
    Detectives or Investigators
    Other Considerations
    Missing Children Resources
    Association of Missing and Exploited Children’s Organization (AMECIO)
    Black and Missing Foundation
    Child Quest International
    Child Find of America, Inc.
    Child Lures Prevention
    Crimes against Children Program (FBI)
    Federal Resources on Missing and Exploited Children: A Directory for Law Enforcement and Other Public and Private Agencies
    Fox Valley Technical College, Criminal Justice Division Child Protection Training Center
    Guide for Implementing or Enhancing Endangered Missing Advisory
    International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children
    Missing Children Clearinghouse Contact Information
    Missing Persons: Volunteers Supporting Law Enforcement
    Nation’s Missing Children Organization (NMCO)
    National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
    National Runaway Switchboard
    Operation Lookout National Center for Missing Youth Home
    Polly Klaas® Foundation
    Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS)
    Glossary
    Appendices
    A: Investigating Missing Children Timeline Guide Considerations
    B: Long-Term and Cold Case Checklist
    C: LOCATER Checklist
    D: AMBER Alert Checklist
    E: Endangerment Risk Assessment (ERA) Checklist
    F: Missing Children Characteristics, Traits, and Probabilities
    G: Runaway/Thrownaway Characteristics and Traits
    H: Missing Benign Episode Characteristics and Traits
    I: Missing Involuntary, Lost, or Injured Children Characteristics and Traits
    J: Family Child Abductions Characteristics and Traits
    K: Characteristics and Traits of International Family Child Abduction
    L: Nonfamily Child Abduction Characteristics and Traits
    M: Stranger Nonfamily Child Abduction Characteristics and Traits
    N: Infant Abduction Characteristics and Traits
    O: INTERNET Child Abduction Characteristics and Traits
    P: Abduction/Missing Child Report Summary Worksheet
    Q: Missing Child Neighborhood Canvass Questionnaire
    R: Volunteer Background Check Form
    S: Reunification Checklist
    T: Missing Child Assessment Checklist
    U: Research and Studies

    Biography

    Donald F. Sprague