(CNN)A 6-year-old boy in Missouri endured an emotional four-hour staged kidnapping because his family thought he was being too nice to people he didn’t know, police said Thursday.
The four people involved in the alleged plot — the boy’s mother, grandmother, aunt and a co-worker of the aunt — have been charged with kidnapping and other felonies, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said.
via CNN.com.
Well, congratulations! It worked!
The kid stopped being so ‘nice’ to people!
This 6-year-old boy learned that lesson so well, that (according to the report) he told the school authorities what happened, and now all 4 “kidnappers” are arrested!
They should all feel proud!
(Although I’m pretty sure that they didn’t see the ‘arrest’ part comming…)
Well, having read the entire story… I get it. I don’t agree with their methods – though their hearts may have been in the right place they went too far. Seems that “little Johnny” repeatedly wouldn’t stop talking to strangers or going places with questionable relatives without asking permission first.
Supported by the fact that shortly after getting repeated lectures about the dangers of taking rides from relatives or strangers without mom and dad’s permission – he was easily lured into a strange truck for this mock kidnapping after shortly being dropped off the school bus only two houses from his own.
Sources such as Federal Bureau of Investigation; National Crime Information Center; U.S. Justice Dept.; Vanished Children’s Alliance; etc show that in the US a child is “kidnapped” by either strangers and relatives every minute.
www.parents.com/kids/safety/stranger-safety/child-abduction-facts/
www.pollyklaas.org/about/national-child-kidnapping.html
Of the yearly 800,000 people (adults and children) reported missing to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) each year it is estimated that 85% to 90% of those (roughly 750,000 people or 2,000 per day) reported missing were children.
20% of the children reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in non-family abductions are not found alive.
80% of abductions by strangers or relatives, the first contact between the child and the abductor occurs within a quarter mile of the child’s home.
74% of abducted children who are ultimately murdered are dead within three hours of the abduction.
Say what you will, but I lost my young 7-yr-old sister… it’s a subject I feel very passionate about. After several warnings my sister wouldn’t stop being ‘nice’ to people. In an ugly twisted way, I sort of wish my parents had done this to her maybe she’d be alive today… perhaps I’m just grabbing at straws here but anything is better than living a life of regrets and a broken heart.
(my mother and father never smiled again – never)
BTW – within the time it took you to read this… at least 2 children were abducted.
the plan to scare him was child abuse. I am glad they got arrested. Hopefully he will have anew family now.
Definitely child abuse, though I’m not sure how it’s ‘kidnapping’ given that parents are legally allowed to force their children to go places they don’t want to go.
This is all messed up since the start. But to make it worst: Once the boy was at the basement where he was held, his pants were removed and he was told he was going to be sold into sex slavery. After this 4-hour ordeal, they ‘lecture’ him about ‘stranger danger’.
This kid is going to need some serious therapy. He could have kept this a secret and really messed him up. At least he chose ‘not-to-be-nice’ and told his teacher, and now all 4 involved are arrested.
Now, one thing is to force a child to go places they don’t want to go. Other, is to make him believe he is kidnapped. This may cause serious damage to the child’s mind, specially once he realize it was done by people who he thought would protect him.