The Missouri Kidnapped Boys

Have you all been keeping up with the news of the 2 boys kidnapped in Missouri? The 13 year old was missing for only 4 days, but the 15 year old was missing since 2002. Imagine? What a relief that they were found. The families are elated. Joy for all of them. I am sure we will be hearing more about this story in the days to come but for the present time they were told not to speak to the press while the investigation is going on. This is proof that prayers certainly do work. God Bless them both.

I'm amazed. I can't get over it. I can't wait to hear the story unfold. I want to know about the people they were with. I also want to know how they kept the one who has been missing since2002 from contacting family or police. DO you think they brainwashed him?

That news broke out here as well. If there's anything that would make my hair stand on end and squirm, it would be news of child abductions.

When my daughter was 7, she was grabbed from me by a gypsy in Vienna. We had gone shopping and I heard my daughter scream for me. I turned around to see what had happened and caught sight of my daughter being dragged away by a woman. I dropped everything and ran after them before the woman could get out of the shop that my daughter and I had gone in. The most frightful thing was, as I tugged and pulled my daughter, along with others who rushed to help, the gypsy would not let go of my daughter even when my child kicked and scratched to get away. She was determined to abduct my daughter and frantically hissed, spat and cursed me in Romany. She would not let go even when other people slapped her about in the hope that the woman would release her grasp to shield herself from the blows. It was only when the police arrived that she let go of my daughter. The gypsy never ended up in prison as they treated her as one with diminished capacity which, I would still argue, was put on to escape criminal liability. It's very easy to feign any semblance of madness.

What I remember most from that experience was the fear in my daughter's eyes and that haunted me for a very long time. It still churns my stomach when I hear of child abductions. Even typing about it now, many years after that event, makes my hands very clammy. There but by the grace of God...

Lola, I can sympathize with you. When you think of the shocking trauma you and your daughter lived through, I can understand that your stomach still churns. Thank God your daughter was able to scream, so that you could catch the gypsy right away.

I didn't have as near a horrifying experience as you did; but when I think back on the incident I had with my son, my hands get clammy as well.

We were once in Venice, and it was the height of the tourist season. The masses of people just shoved each other through the narrow alleys. During the pushing and shoving, my five-year-old son's hand was ripped from mine. In that moment I think 1000 horrible things blitzed through my head. I fought back through the crowd screaming his name. The people just kept shoving. They didn't even seem to take notice of me, or the panic I was in. It took only three or five minutes, (the longest minutes of my life). Then I spotted him pressed against a wall crying bitterly.

I know what you mean Lola, when you see real fear in a child's eyes. He had that too. That look follows me to this very day. My heart goes out to those parents that have lived through child abductions. It has to be the living hell.

Oh Lola, what a horrible experience! It made chills run down my spine.

It's the Romanians in France that are pickpockets. They start at a very young age.

Yes. Dianne. they have a horrible reputation in Germany as well.

I have seen this news on the boys and sadly it didn't take the press long to start sensationalizing the story and pointing a finger at the child that was held captive since 2002. When they would say things like, "It's been said that the young boy had access to a cell phone and it has to make you wonder why he didn't call his parents....BUT we have to wait and hear his side of the story." THIS kind of reporting makes me ashamed of news people. This boy is a child. HE IS A CHILD. Who knows what kind of things this CHILD has had to endure? Who knows what he has been told?

I can guarantee you one thing. If that were THEIR child, they wouldn't be saying those kinds of things...planting seeds in the viewers minds. How sick is that?

GIVE THE FAMILY SOME PEACE is what I say. They've been through enough.

Lola, I'm so sorry you and your daughter were put through a terrible act such as this! You too, Hannalore.

In hate the news media, all of them, They have NO SHAME and apparently NO common sense either. You're right JJ, what of it were their child??? Lola and Hannelore how terrifying for and the children.

When my boys were little that was my greatest fear. Luckily I never had to go through it. I watch my daughter like a hawk and she's 12. We can never be too careful.

The oldest boy that has been missing for four years was only 11 when he was kidnapped. That's really young and who knows what kind of lies and brain washing he's been put through.

Thank God they were found.
Laurel

Ladies, Ben the newest boy to be kidnapped went to school in my town! Beaufort is just down the road a piece. I think the biggest thing to me is making the conscieous decision to live in a small town to shield your children from these kinds of things--only to have it happen in your backyard. It takes your breathe away to realize that there is no safe place. Truly whether we believe or not, God is in control.

You can't imagine the celebrating here when the news was spread. My son was working at the gas station and an FBI agent came in and leaned over and whispered they had found them. Within seconds, the pager of a fireman who was in the station rang out, then another, then 2 cell phones rang, etc. My son said it was just like a movie as the word spread like wildfire. It was THE talk at Walmart that evening as I was getting groceries.

I get very upset when I hear people talking about why that boy didn't try to escape--we have no right to judge when we didn't live the life he's led. Who knows what this boy went through?

We need to praise God that they are both all right and pray they get past this so they can have full and happy lives.

Aside from all the publicity, I think it is a small miracle that this child and the other boy was found alive. I can only begin to imagine how these parents are feeling about having them back in their lives.

chick

I don't understand WHY they were kidnapped? Other than being brainwashed, were they harmed physically? Does this guy have a criminal history? Why did he choose these two boys?

I find I get really obsessed with this type of thing. I was almost abducted as a child back in the 60's. We lived in the quiet suburbs.
I had a lemonade stand just outside my front door on the front lawn.(I cringe everytime I see kids with lemonade stands with no parent supervision, there usually never is) My Mom was in the kitchen which faced the back yard.
A guy drove up and bought a lemonade. I remember him being quite handsome and wearing a suit. He seemed so nice. He asked me for directions to a street was which was just at the end of my street. When I told him to just keep driving and he would find it he acted confused. He kept saying he didn't understand and could I get in the car and go with him and show him. I remember thinking about it but my Mom's words stuck in my head "never go anywhere with a stranger" My Mom had a controlling way about her and I hated getting in trouble as she nagged at me. I was more worried about her getting mad at me than I was about this man. He seemed so nice and I wasn't frightened by him at all. I didn't get in or she would have spanked me for sure. If I'd only known then that I wouldn't have returned home to get spanked if I got in that car. He kept insisting so I said I would ride on my bike in front of his car and he could follow me. He must have drove off, I can't remember anything past that. Years later this still haunts me and every time I hear that another child has been abducted it affects me for a long time. I watch the news and pray and pray that they will be found. It's exhausting and frustrating. I can't imagine the horror the parents of abducted children must go through and especially the children. Oh the poor children.
I get borderline obsessed and really have to watch myself, it affects me so much. I'm an overprotective mother because of it and my kids are always complaining that I am the only parent that is so strict.(which I know isn't true) So, I'm now obsessing about these two boys and praying that they are ok. It will be very hard on Shawn especially to deal with what has happened to him.
I will get over it eventually until the next time. I think we all need to be so much more aware these days as this is not going to stop especially with the internet predators. We need to use the internet to our advantage and keep an eye out for missing children. They need us.
Kate

Shawn was just on Oprah today. He talked about being homeschooled, watching video games and sleeping. Once he had an opportunity to write an email to his parents asking how long would you look for your son.

He looked very, very soulfully hurt and held his parents hands tight. So, so sad.

Ann

This topic scares the heck out of me. Lola and Hannelore, your stories are so sad. I'm so sorry you had to experience that. Lola, did you have to go to court for this?

We once lost our youngest son on the beach of all places. We immediately noticed he was gone and all went in different directions searching for him. He was of walking age, not even two years-old. A woman saw us looking and said she saw him follow another lady down the beach that she assumed he thought was his mother. We headed in that direction and sure enough he was right there. This was only moments, but like Lola and Hannelore, those horrible, frightful feelings close in one me even as I type. I can't imagine living without a child due to abduction, day in and day out. God, spare us.

I haven't followed this too closely. Shawn is the older child, right? Can you imagine being his parents for all those years and then the sheer joy of learning he was alive and then getting to embrace him? I pray he can resume a somewhat normal kife and that he isn't too scarred by everything he was fed mentally by his abducter.

Oh, and the media is maddening.

This story haunts me. I think he was getting ready to kill the oldest boy too. I'm sure he molested at least the oldest one. There has to be a special hell for this man who did this.

My son called me last night and apparently they have been following this story where he works and talking about it because he said, "mom, thank you for being so strict and never allowing us to do the stupid kid things we tried to do. God only knows what you may have saved us from." He made me cry, happy tears. I can't even imagine one of my sons having been abducted or worse....

Yes Dotsie that dam media is unrelenting and trying for sensation. Leave these poor children alone to mend themselves.

Hi,Dotsie: Unfortunately, at that time, European policing works with caution. Sometimes, in cases of inchoate offences, they would assess the offender right there and then along with all the surrounding circumstances. It often was a personal judgment call of the police more than the victim. In our case, the gypsy feigned madness and so, was let off.

Much like Chatty, I can only recall how strict I have been with my children's supervision after that event. Now that my daughter has her own children to look after, she understands the restrictions I imposed on them when they were little. My older grandchildren like their independence and would not hold hands when we go out. The 6-year old thinks it's childish and the 2-year old is in her typical 2-year old angsty phase and would not wear her harness. So, when they refuse to be held, they get packed into the car and the day is called off. Then, they listen next time. I get very stressed when my grandson goes on school journeys and I make the 350-mile trip to where they live so I can volunteer as escort for his class each time.

Children abduction is still very rife and children get plucked even from their own backgardens. As a result and because of our experience, we have CCTV in our homes and the children are never left alone. When we go to the beach or to crowded events, we make them wear their whistles around their neck and have taught them to remember emergency phone numbers and most importantly, never to talk to strangers unless we are with them. Sadly, this is what it has boiled down to.

And, it is to my dismay that up until now, the UK does not have the practice of putting photos of missing children on milk cartons as we have in the States.