Hackensack, NJ
Several
attempted kidnappings, that
police are describing as "
luring
away" incidents, have occurred in Northern New Jersey. According to
ABC News, on October 12, 2012, there have been four reports of a suspicious male
attempting to
lure children into his car.
Just Friday morning in Hackensack, a man approached an
11-year-old
boy as he walked to
school.
Investigators say the man told the boy to
get in his car but the boy ran. Another
incident occurred where a male
approached an 8th grade girl.
On Tuesday in Oradell a
7-year-old girl was approached in her front
yard and on Saturday in Maywood, an
8-year-old girl, in her
grandparent's front yard, says an older man offered to take her to look
at puppies.
The most recent
incident occurred in Passaic County, N.J. in Hawthorne just miles away from the locations originally targeted.
Cody, WY
The
FBI has released a
composite sketch of a man they say
lured a young girl into his SUV on Monday and
sexually assaulted her.
The girl has been reunited with her family, but the suspect remains on the loose. He is considered armed and dangerous.
Authorities say he approached the young girl at the Park County
Complex in Cody on Oct. 8. He told her he was looking for his lost
puppy. She got into the man's white SUV, possibly a 2004-2005 Toyota
SR-5 4-Runner.
The girl was found several hours later by a group of hunters in a rural area.
Arvada, CO
Late Friday, authorities announced the
dismembered body found in an Arvada, Colo. park this week is that of
Jessica Ridgeway. They are now focused on apprehending the man who
murdered her amid the recent
abduction attempts of
children in the area.
“Our focus has changed from the search for Jessica to a mission of
justice for Jessica,” said Westminster
Police Chief Lee Birk during a
news conference. “We realize there is a
predator at large in our
community.”
View slideshow: Photos of Missing Colorado Girl Jessica Ridgeway
According to
The Daily Beast,
three
abduction attempts have taken place in the last month in the
Arvada area. Two
abductions that involved a white male with brown hair
who was driving a blue sedan took place in the Arvada area on Sept. 9
and Sept. 12. Each time the man tried to lure
children into his vehicle
using candy. On Oct. 4, only a day before Jessica’s disappearance, two
young girls reported a man in a white van followed them with his vehicle
as they walked home from
school. The van was reportedly seen in the
area the morning Jessica vanished.
Arvada, CO
The search for missing Colorado 10-year-old
Jessica Ridgeway
took a tragic turn today when
police identified a
dismembered body
found in a park just miles from her home as that of the fifth-grader.
The death marked the end of a
massive search involving hundreds of
state, local and federal authorities that began one week ago when she
vanished during a two-block walk to a park to meet friends.
Tooele, UT
Police are warning residents to be careful and use common sense
following three reports this month of
attempted abductions and
suspicious people.
Investigators do not believe the
incidents are
related, and in none of the cases was a
child actually taken or anyone
hurt, said Tooele
Police Lt. Paul Wimmer. One of the incidents, however,
did prompt the
principal at
East Elementary School to send a letter
home to parents cautioning them about a suspicious man.
On Oct. 3, a man was spotted at Elton Park wearing
only underwear. The man was reportedly in a vehicle, got out to walk
around the car, and then got back in. At no time did he approach a
student, Wimmer said. But because many of the
children walk by or
through that park on their way to and from
school, a letter was sent
home to the parents.
Canton, OH
Police said Friday they are
investigating a possible
abduction after a
witness described a screaming young woman or
teen being dragged into a
car.
Detective Shawn Gaddis said the
incident happened shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday along N.C. 215 on a
bridge over the Pigeon River in Canton.
A
witness standing about 100 yards away described seeing a burgundy or
red car with a spoiler stopped on the bridge and a man and young woman
or
teen outside the vehicle.
“She heard a female screaming, ‘Help!’” Gaddis said. “She said the female was screaming really loud.”
Waterloo, IA
Eastern Iowa parents are on alert following news
of two reported
attempted child abductions in two days.
Police say the
first
incident happened Wednesday in Waterloo, when a black man between
the ages of 50-60 stopped a girl walking home from
school and asked her
if she wanted a ride. The second
incident happened Thursday afternoon in
Cedar Falls.
Police report a white man with red hair pulled up next to a
boy, and asked him if he wanted a ride and chocolate.
In light of what happened nearly three months ago
in Evansdale, area parents are taking these
reports seriously and using
the opportunity to talk to their children about strangers.
Cedar Falls, IA
A boy said a man in a white van approached him as he rode his bike home from
school Thursday,
KWWL reported Thursday night.
Cedar Falls police said the
incident happened around 3:50 p.m. near
Lincoln Elementary, at the corner of 10th Street and Tremont Street. The
boy said the man asked if he needed a ride and wanted chocolate. The
boy rode away and the van left.
The man is described as white, in his 20s, with a red beard, wearing a
black baseball cap. The vehicle was described as a large white van with
black on the front and a large rear window.
The incident was
the second abduction report in the Cedar Valley in as many days.
As anyone who reads my blog knows, child abductions are a serious problem, and it seems to be growing. The very worst that can happens is exemplified in the Jessica Ridgeway story. A ten-year old girl The good news is that it is preventable. Along that line, I found an article that has some very helpful hints.
