According to Child Crime Prevention & Safety Center: Every 40 seconds, a child goes missing or is abducted in the United States. Approximately 840,000 children are reported missing each year and the F.B.I. estimates that between 85 and 90 percent of these are babies.
While most reports of missing or abducted children are resolved within hours, many involve situations where
a child goes missing permanently or for an extended period of time. The following are some of the key issues surrounding missing and abducted children:
- Family abduction
- Non-family abduction
- Runaway
- Physically/mentally disabled children* – high risk
Who is the typical abductor of infants and newborns?
The profile has not changed since introduced by the FBI decades ago. Based on analysis conducted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of 248 cases between 1983 and 2007 and as rereported by Relias Media in 2022, the typical profile of an infant abductor includes the following:
- The abductor usually is female of childbearing age (12 to 50) and is often overweight.
- The abductor usually is compulsive and frequently relies on manipulation, lying, and deception to gain access.
- The abductor usually states she has lost a baby or is incapable of having a child.
- The abductor is often married or is living with a male companion.
- Usually, the companion has a desire to have a child, or the abductor has a desire to provide her companion with “his” child. Often, that is the motivation for the abduction.
- Frequently, the abductor lives or is familiar with the community where the abduction takes place.
- The most frequent location for the abduction is the mother’s hospital room.
- The abductor usually visits the nursery or maternity ward at more than one health care facility prior to the abduction and has asked detailed questions about procedures and the maternity floor layout.
- The abductor frequently uses a fire exit stairwell for her escape. That person also may try to abduct from the home setting.
- While the abductor usually plans the abduction ahead of time, she does not necessarily target a specific infant and frequently seizes any opportunity present.
- The abductor frequently impersonates a nurse or other allied health care personnel.
- The abductor frequently becomes familiar with health care staff, staff work routines, and victim parents.
- The abductor demonstrates a capability to provide “good” care to the baby once the abduction occurs.
- The abductor may use social medial, social networking and dating applications to target the older child.
States with the highest abduction rate
States with the highest abduction rate
| States |
Abduction rate |
| Texas |
3,588 |
| New York |
2,502 |
| Florida |
2,197 |
| Ohio |
2,259 |
| California |
1,828 |
| Washington |
1,585 |
Preventative measures
The prevention of infant abduction planning is required by accreditation organizations for hospitals and health systems and typically such a document may be found within the organizations emergency preparedness planning. Although prevention strategies such as education (parental and staff oriented) and technological advances in environment security measures have helped in stopping an abduction, vigilance remain an essential part of the plan.
The abductor may be motivated by an emotional impulse, efforts to abduct require planning in order to access and leave a hospital with an infant without being detected. As a crime of opportunity, the abduction may be completed in handful of seconds.
According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the following guidelines are reasonable and assist in safeguarding the infant under your care.
- A comprehensive program of health care policy, procedures, and processes.
- The thorough education of and teamwork by nursing personnel, parents, physicians, security, and risk management personnel.
- The complete coordination of various elements of physical and electronic security.
Human factors
Technology plays a role in access control as well as infant tracking but will not replace staff and parental vigilance. The adage of “see something, say something”, plays a role in avoiding or deterring infant abduction. However, staff need to understand the profile of an infant abductor. We must also train staff as to how they can safely approach
a potential abductor. Activate of your organization’s response plan also needs to have a tested plan and backup plan. Ongoing drills at regular intervals will help keep the infant abduction plan fresh in the team’s mind. Conducting a post drill will help evaluate the effectives of your drills and areas and opportunities for improvement.
Resources
-
Infant Abductions: A Violent Trend Emerges
- Guide from the FBI on safety tips to take to reduce the risk of infant abduction.
-
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
- (NCMEC), serves as an information clearinghouse and national resource center on issues related to victims, missing and exploited children and operates a national toll-free hotline.
-
AMBEreadR Alert
- Provides an overview of AMBER Alert efforts by OJP and includes strategies, publications, and training events.
-
CyberTipline
- Receives reports from the public and electronic service providers regarding child sexual exploitation.
-
Is Your Child Missing?
- Report information about a missing child to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s 24- hour hotline at 800–THE–LOST (800–843–5678).
-
Safety Central App
- NCMEC’s app serves as a digital child ID kit that allows parents to save information about, fingerprints for, and photographs of their children.
Footnote
* The disabled child is especially susceptible to being abducted and it may be harder to return them to their parents when they are lost. Physical disabilities can also make it more difficult for missing children to be
discovered and returned and provided necessary medical care and treatment. Law enforcement agencies receive special training in handling cases involving missing
or abducted children who have mental or physical disabilities.
Disclaimer
Willis Towers Watson hopes you found the general information provided in this publication informative and helpful. The information contained herein is not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice and should not be relied upon in lieu of consultation with your own legal advisors. In the event you would like more information regarding your insurance coverage, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. In North America, Willis Towers Watson offers insurance products through licensed entities, including Willis Towers Watson Northeast, Inc. (in the United States) and Willis Canada Inc. (in Canada).
