Child abduction is a terrifying reality
As parents, there are few stories more terrifying than that of Samantha Runnion, the 5-year-old California girl who was abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered earlier this week.
Details of the crime are horrifying. The act itself seems unimaginable, yet child abductions are now occurring with disturbing regularity in this country. Runnion was the third high-profile abduction in the United States this year. Seven-year-old Danielle van Dam of San Diego was found dead and a neighbor is now on trial. Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart of Salt Lake City has been missing since early June.
What can we do here in Warren County? For starters, we need to watch our children – and hammer home the importance of not talking to strangers.
It’s easy to sit back and rest under a false blanket of security. It’s all too convenient to think a child abduction could never happen here in Warren County.
On an issue like this, we don’t need to bury our heads in the sand. In recent years, Warren County has endured a triple murder which included two children. The county is riddled with meth and the problems which accompany drugs.
Warren County is a nice place to live and call home, but we are no different than the rest of the country. We are not immune to tragedy.
We have a mall and a movie theater. We have playgrounds and ball fields. We have children who love the summer and spend time outdoors. And we have front yards, which is exactly where Samantha Runnion was playing when she was lured away. These are all places where child abductors may lurk.
With that in mind, it’s our duty as parents to sit down and stress to our kids the importance of safety. They must realize there are demented people in our society who will do unspeakable acts.
It’s unfortunate our world has come to this, but children must know strangers cannot be trusted. Ultimately, most strangers are nothing more than good-hearted, normal folks – but there’s always the chance that might not be the case.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children offers these tips:
• Teach your children who is safe to ride with and make sure they never approach an unfamiliar vehicle.
• Make sure children know their address and phone number. Make sure they do not tell anyone who calls they are home alone.
• Create an atmosphere in your home where your children are comfortable confiding information about potentially dangerous situations.
• Discuss which homes your child can visit and be sure to know the parents. If it’s the other parents who are in charge of supervision for several hours, make sure they have also talked with their children about strangers.
At the Standard, we report the news, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t appalled and sickened by these child abductions and murders. We want to avoid ever publishing a story about a child abduction taking place here.
Watch your children, talk to your children and be sure to report any suspicious-looking behavior. We have enough unfortunate news in this county. We don’t need to add a child abduction to that list.