Accidental Abduction

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While surviving the biting winter months, it is not unusual for drivers to start and leave their cars idling unattended to keep warm while completing a quick errand. Rather than fighting car seats, coats, and the complexity of trying to supervise a child while simultaneously focusing on a task, parents commonly leave their children comfortably buckled and unattended in the back seat for just a moment while stopping off at the gas station, operating an ATM, making a small purchase at a convenience store, returning a cart or loading groceries in a store parking lot, or dropping something or someone off while parked in a residential driveway.

But a moment is all it takes when thieves are looking for the easy target of a running vehicle. Unfortunately, children are found in these “accidental abduction” events with surprising frequency. In 2022, there was a record high of 264 children in the U.S. left alone in a vehicle that was stolen, according to Kids and Car Safety.¹ These crimes of opportunity happen without elaborate plans, technology, or skill (like hot wiring) by taking advantage of a moment when no one thinks to turn off their vehicles or lock their doors.

For most car thieves, a speedy getaway is the main objective. Discovering a child in the back seat is usually an unexpected, undesired consequence. Often, the suspect will immediately abandon the child at a random location (in alleys, on roadways, in stores, at construction sites, in crowded parking lots, gardens, or even drive-thru lanes²) and sometimes leave the vehicle as they recognize the greater magnitude of the crime they have committed.

On rare occasions, these situations can turn into an assault if parents fight back or lead to a high-speed chase if they follow the suspect. Though children typically survive these events, the experience is devastating and sometimes leads to tragedy.³

Accidental abduction events 
• February 2023: In Libertyville, Illinois (USA), a pregnant 34-year-old mom pulled into her own driveway one afternoon, taking one child inside the house and returning to retrieve her 2-year-old son from his car seat when a man attempted to steal her vehicle. Though the woman fought the suspect, he managed to drive her SUV away with her toddler in the back seat, running over her as he fled. The boy was found unharmed in a parking lot about 10 miles away, and the mother recovered from her injuries.⁴ 
• April 2023: A 5-year-old girl in Charlotte, North Carolina (USA), was abducted in a vehicle theft when the child’s mother was inside a sandwich shop with her two other children. Police were able to track the car using the mother’s cell phone, which was inside the vehicle. The suspect was charged with kidnapping, larceny, and possession of a stolen car, serving jail time with a $510,000 bond.⁵ 
• February 2024: A Wisconsin (USA) father was drying off his car with his 8- and 2-year-old daughters sitting buckled in the back seat when a man asked him for directions while another man snuck into the vehicle and screeched out of the car wash. Luckily, the father’s phone, still inside the vehicle, could be tracked to find its location. The carjacker ultimately left the car about a mile from the car wash, with the children unharmed.⁶ 
• July 2024: A 29-year-old Columbus, Ohio (USA), mother and schoolteacher was fatally struck by her own car as she jumped on the hood to stop a thief from driving away with her sleeping 6-year-old inside. She died of head injuries the next day. 
• July 2024: A 27-year-old Trenton, New Jersey (USA), father was shot and killed by a teenager trying to steal his car with his two children in it. The father tried to climb in through the back hatch, and the teenager opened fire, a fatal ending adding to a trend of juvenile vehicle theft suspects—some not old enough to legally drive.⁷

Chief Complaint Selection 
In the Police Priority Dispatch System^™ (PPDS^®), ABDUCTION is defined as “the taking and carrying away of one person by another by force, fraud, or persuasion. It may involve a ransom demand.” Of course, this definition is based on the suspect’s intent, but carjacking and thieving suspects may unintentionally, even unknowingly, abduct a child while attempting to steal a vehicle.

While sorting through a caller’s shock, the EPD may find it difficult to choose the correct Chief Complaint Protocol that best addresses the event and collects the right information for an immediate response.

Protocol 130: Theft (Larceny) might be a tempting selection for immediately addressing a vehicle stolen through distraction or opportunity. Or the EPD might consider Protocol 126: Robbery/ Carjacking if the suspect obtained the vehicle through means of force or fear. However, neither of these protocols address the highest priority, which is the concern for the child(ren) in the back seat.

Protocol 123: Missing/Runaway/Found Person could seem like a reasonable Chief Complaint selection to collect a description of the missing child, but it does not address the known event that caused the child’s disappearance, nor the suspect information that would best aid police officers in their immediate search.

Chief Complaint Selection Rule 1 helps direct the EPD to consider the highest priority when choosing the most appropriate path: “When multiple crimes are reported, choose the protocol that best addresses the most critical or life-threatening event.”

Dave Warner, IAED™ Police Protocol, Academics, and Standards Expert, explains the application of this Rule in relation to the scenario of an accidental abduction: “The fact that a child or infant was in the vehicle at the time it was stolen is covered by this Rule. This child is our overwhelming priority of interest.”

The EPD does not need to consider whether the suspect knew a child was present when the vehicle theft took place. Choosing an appropriate protocol should be based on the priority of locating the child and safely securing them out of the suspect’s reach. For this reason, the most appropriate Protocol is 101: Abduction (Kidnapping)/Custodial Abduction/ Custody Issue/Hostage Situation, which generates a higher priority response assignment than any of the other protocols discussed.

Protocol 101 
The first Key Questions on Protocol 101 address weapons, an important precaution for officers attempting to apprehend the suspect without endangering the child, other drivers or bystanders, or themselves.

Immediately after recording weapons information, the EPD will send a 101-D-2 “ABDUCTION” Determinant Code (with W=Weapon suffix code, if applicable).

“The ‘ABDUCTION’ Determinant Code will start several other important processes within the 911 center or by the police agency itself,” Warner said. “An ATL/BOLO (attempt to locate/be on the lookout) will be quickly provided to other nearby police agencies. An abduction incident will also generate an AMBER Alert, as well as a National Crime Information Center (NCIC) entry for the child itself, not just the vehicle.”

The next Key Questions address the vehicle description, the direction it was going, and the suspect description to aid responders in their search. (In stolen vehicle scenarios, it is usually possible to get a more comprehensive description of the vehicle from an owner who knows details like the license plate number—also written on their car insurance cards.)

The EPD will then collect a description of the victim(s), which includes an inquiry about whether there is trackable technology in the vehicle (e.g., cell phone, tablet, GPS). This information can be incredibly useful to help locate the vehicle, especially if the suspect has abandoned the car in a random location (e.g., blending into a crowded parking lot without attracting notice), often with the child now left exposed to the elements with time impacting the child’s condition.

The Post-Dispatch Instruction (PDI) regarding the victim’s phone number may also apply if there is a cell phone in the vehicle. The caller should be told to write down the number and give it to responding officers with a clear warning not to call the number. The suspect may already be panicked by the consequence of discovering children in the vehicle and may take adverse actions if alarmed by contact.

As already mentioned, the Critical EPD Information reminds the EPD to broadcast an attempt to locate, do computer checks, enter NCIC/CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre) information, and refer to agency policy on documenting suspect/caller characteristics.

Often, when the caller’s vehicle has been stolen, there is no option for the caller to follow the vehicle, but in rare cases where a vehicle is stolen from the home and another vehicle is available, the EPD may consider advising the caller based on the following Rule: “Instructions about following a suspect’s vehicle should be handled according to local policy.”

Conclusion 
Handling reports of a vehicle stolen with a child in the back seat can be distressing, but remaining calm and adhering to the most appropriate Protocol (101) is the best method to prioritize the child’s safety, send an informed response, and address potential dangers.

These events are largely avoidable if parents and caregivers take consistent precautions to turn off their vehicles, lock them, and take children with them to ensure their safety from vehicle theft and other perils (such as temperature extremes, potential choking hazards, vehicles knocked into gear, or loaded firearms discovered due to children’s boredom or curiosity).

The EPD serves an essential role in locating and protecting children in these intense scenarios, though these real-life examples emphasize the key to preventing accidental abduction is eliminating opportunity.

Sources 
1. Dalbey, B. “Carjackers Steal More Cars — Many With Kids Still Inside.” Kids and Car Safety. 2023; Feb. 28. kidsandcars.org/news/post/carjackers-steal-more-cars-many-with-kids-still-inside (accessed Nov. 27, 2024). 
2. See note 1. 
3. “Cars Stolen with Children Inside Facts.” Kids and Car Safety. kidsandcars.org/car-theft/facts (accessed Nov. 27, 2024). 
4. Ward, T. “Pregnant mom run over trying to stop car theft with toddler inside; BMW used in crime still missing.” ABC7 Chicago Digital Team. 2023; Feb. 23. abc7chicago.com/libertyville-car-theft-stolen-child-found-woman-ran-over/12868137 (accessed Nov. 27, 2024). 
5. Hauser, N. “Organization has message for parents after 5-year-old in stolen car found safe.” Kids and Car Safety. 2023; April 26. https://www.kidsandcars.org/news/post/organization-has-message-for-parents-after-5-year-old-in-stolen-car-found-safe (accessed Nov. 27, 2024). 
6. Harrison, C., Leib M. “Quick-thinking 8-year-old leaves voicemail for mom during carjacking.” Good Morning America and ABC News. 2024; Feb. 6. abcnews.go.com/GMA/Living/quick-thinking-8-year-leaves-voicemail-mom-carjacking/story?id=106974398 (accessed Nov. 27, 2024). 
7. Bruner, B., Meighan, S. “Ohio mother dies after trying to stop car from being stolen with 6-yearold son inside.” Colombus Dispatch. 2024; July 12. dispatch.com/story/news/crime/2024/07/11/ ohio-mom-dies-after-trying-to-stop-car-being-stolen-with-6-year-old-inside-alexa-stakely-columbus/74371237007 (accessed Nov. 27, 2024).