I don't know what I would do if I saw someone trying to abduct my child. I hope I never have to find out, but I certainly hope it would be something along the lines of what South Carolina dad Roger Lee Whitlock did.
There he was at the library with his son Lee Lee, his fiance, and her father. While the father filled out job applications online, Roger took Lee Lee outside to have a little snack. The boy was on the other side of a pillar from him, but not more than a foot away, he told The Independent Mail. It's a good thing he was that close, because what happened next is every parent's nightmare.
He told the paper:
I heard a voice say to Lee Lee: "Hey, do you want to go home with me?" But I didn’t think anything about it at first, because he’s so cute and people say that to him when they are teasing him. But then, I saw a man reach out and grab Lee Lee’s arm.
That's where I would hope I wouldn't be too stunned to move, or standing there in disbelief that this could really be happening. Whitlock certainly didn't. Instead, he pummeled the guy.
I whirled around and punched the man, and he ran off. I hit him pretty hard and he was oozing blood.
It's too bad he got away, but hopefully the beating will teach him a thing or two and police will track him down. It's so terrifying to me that people like are out there, and it makes me hyper alert in public when I know things like this can happen in a swift second, even when you're right there. I don't want to be paranoid, and I know these creeps are few and far between, but they ARE out there. Knowing that makes me want to hold their hands as much as they'll let me ... and perhaps brush up on some boxing moves too.
Do you feel like you need to hold on to your children when you're in public?
Image via Tim Parkinson/Flickr
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Comments 68
People are sick plain and simple, any time you have the audicity to come up to a child at anytime and ask any other question other than asking who the child is with is absurd to me. I am so grateful that I taught my children that anytime we go anywhere to "never leave my side I don't care who tries to talk to you, even if its another kid" they always listened. Now they are young adults and listen to the news about abductions all the time especially when an Amber alert is made in our area.
I hold my grandkids hands every time we are in public, I trust no one. Then I still see parents leaving their kids in the car while they run into the store 'for just a few things'...it only takes a few seconds of inattention and the kid is gone.
That is just crazy. I would have beaten the A**hole up and NOT let him get away. That makes me angry. I never let my 6 year old out of my site. She's always connected to mommy or daddy in some way! :)
Sadly it only takes a moment.
James Bulger was abducted in broad daylight from a busy store while his mother was only a few feet away. He was lured out by two other (older) children and then beaten to death by them.
Adam Walsh (America's Most Wanted host John Walsh's son) was lured away in broad daylight from a Sears store and murdered. His mother was a few aisles away but still in the same store and Adam was with some other kids. They never officially charged anyone but John (and law enforcement) believe serial killer couple Ottis Toole and Henry Lee Lucas were responsible. So two grown, strange looking men managed to lure Adam away from the shop and other kids without anyone noticing.
Just because stranger abductions are rare doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. :-/