Family abduction – our site and the stats
There are currently 375 children listed on the For the Lost site as cases on the Adam Haseeb Memorial pages. For the interested, here are some facts and breakdown of statistics of these cases.
The average age of a child in this section is 4.2 years. The two oldest missing children are Jose Medina Lopez and Viridiana Urias, who are both sixteen years old. The youngest children are four months old, and they are Hannah Pobursky, Angel Rosales, Sneha Pierce, Abril Comstock, and Joliet Cedano. A total of nineteen children were under the age of one when abducted and twenty-three were ten years or older. These numbers are consistant with most statements that young children are more likely to be abducted. Older children usually have more resources they can use to escape an abductor, although this can be negated if they are taken out of the country. Children under the age of one are also not frequently taken, presumably because the non-custodial parent would rather not have the responsibility of caring for an infant. This could also be because visitation for very young children is typically strictly monitored.
Out of the 375 children on the site, there are 290 seperate cases. 98 are of single male children (thirty-four percent), 124 are of single female children (forty-three percent), 18 are of groups of male children (six percent), 14 are of groups of female children (five percent), and 36 are mixed gender groups (twelve percent). 162 children were abducted by their mother (fifty-six percent), 7 by their mother and her boyfriend or stepfather (two percent), 99 by their father (thirty-four percent), 3 by their father and grandmother (one percent), 2 by their stepfather (one percent), 3 by their grandmother (one percent), 5 by their grandparents (two percent), 4 by both parents (one percent), 3 by an unknown relative (one percent). One case involved half siblings being abducted by one’s father, who was the other’s stepfather, and one case involved half siblings being abducted by their mother and one’s father.
Of the children in the cases, 101 are of Caucasian descent (thirty-five percent), 16 of African-American descent (six percent), 15 of Asian descent (five percent), 115 of Hispanic descent (forty percent), and 42 are biracial (fourteen percent). Of the biracial children, 5 are black and white (twelve percent), 10 are asian and white (twenty-four percent), 12 are hispanic and white (twenty-nine percent), 5 are asian and hispanic (twelve percent), 2 are asian and black (five percent), 4 are black and hispanic (ten percent), 1 is American Indian and white, and one is American Indian and hispanic. In two cases the racial mix was unknown.
Only eight cases have never been listed on NCMEC. Fourteen were once listed but have been removed. 140 have been missing for nine years or over (forty-eight percent). Only three have been missing for less than a year (one percent).
In twelve cases, caution was advised when approaching the parent. In two of these cases, no reason was given. In six, the parent was wanted for homicide. In the remaining four, they were merely believed to be armed or otherwise dangerous.
This is of course an incomplete look at the cases and I hope to be able to go into some deeper analysis later on.
Emma said,
March 5, 2017 @ 4:01 am
What has always puzzled me is that there are precious if any at all Black American mothers who have ever had their child internationally abducted from the United States or been accused of themselves wrongly retaining their child in the United States. You would think that with a staggering 3/4ths of black women being single mothers and the negative stereotypes denigrating them as abusive horrible mothers, there would a hoardes of concerned or vindictive alienated fathers fleeing with their children out of reach. The children of black single mothers are hands down the easiest to abduct since their mothers would not stand a chance in any courts and would have no recourse, yet despite this they are the least likely to be deprived of access and residency of their children.
Politically Incorrect said,
March 6, 2017 @ 2:29 am
As you said the odds are strongly stacked against black mothers. I can think of two cases off the top of my head. That of Tiffany Rubin who risked her freedom to return her 7 year old son Kobe from South Korea to New York after his father fled with him to Seoul. The second of a woman by the name of Jannah Sims. She was an expat in Switzerland for many years after falling in love with a Swiss national during college and their son Malik was born in Switzerland as a dual US/Swiss Citizen. When she divorced Malik’s father she was awarded sole custody and announced her intent to relocate to the United States with 5 year old Malik, newborn daughter, and new business hubby. Within 72 hours she was hauled into Swiss courts and ordered to surrender both of Malik’s passports. The same courts that repeatedly ruled and affirmed Malik should reside in the United States with his mother only allowed a few precious weeks of visitations in the United States demanding that he absolutely had to be handed back to his father to return to Switzerland unless she wanted to be charged with international child abduction. Twice, after Swiss courts affirmed their prior decisions, Ms. Sims went to bring Malik to California permanently, only to be told very soon afterwards to promptly return him to Lugano canton. For the past several years, Swiss courts have refused to allow Malik to travel to the United States to visit his mother and younger half siblings, because Ms. Sims has been deemed a kidnapping risk and the now teenage Malik now insists he won’t speak to his mother unless she drops all custody litigation and let’s him live peacefully in Switzerland. Ms.Sims has circulated online petitions and sought assistance to see her son from every source imaginable including both American and Swiss authorities, but to no avail. No one thinks she has the right to see her child as would if she were a white mother and like all cases involving black mothers there is no publicizing whatsoever. With my own two ears I have heard it said that a child was not stolen but “rescued” from the black mother being deprived of her God given right to access and raise her own child. Racism is alive and well the world over!
forthelost said,
March 7, 2017 @ 1:29 am
There are at least a few others – Nasim Howard’s father is white, but Nasim is biracial, so his mother is black.
Elena Suro said,
March 7, 2017 @ 1:57 pm
Sometimes the information you have is incorrect or outdated. It would be extremely helpful if you double check your sources frequently and make sure that the child is really missing. Otherwise families get hurt from the information posted. Such is the case of my son Mateo Hellinger whom you have missing in your website. Please contact the father to corroborate the information and the authorities as well, whatever it takes for you to prove the child is NOT MISSING and remove my son’s image and information from your website.
I can provide you with any proof you want, custody papers, photographs, whatever you need to have your post removed.
Thanks
forthelost said,
March 7, 2017 @ 2:33 pm
I do not have him as listed as missing at all. I have him listed as found, but I can remove him from that.
Ann said,
March 7, 2017 @ 11:46 pm
Interesting.
Why aren’t pages automatically deleted when…..?
1. The child is located and/or the custody dispute resolved?
2. A parent requests that the page be deleted and can prove they are the true parent and there’s no need to publicize their child?
3. The child becomes of mature age and requests to have their privacy respected?
I have seen all three different scenarios and the circulated information never disappears completely.
forthelost said,
March 8, 2017 @ 11:51 am
I keep a list of located children to show that even after many years missing people can still be found safe. I have removed children from these lists when the now adult child asks me to. I’m not sure what you mean by “real parent.”
Ann said,
March 9, 2017 @ 1:09 am
By real parent, I meant the child’s father or mother, who as “Elena Suro” above can provide accurate information regarding the child and has evidence to prove the matter has been resolved. To quote two additional cases on your site
“George Macy said,
February 19, 2011 @ 8:50 am
Anastasiya is my daughter. She is not lost or missing. I demand that this site do the following:
1. Remove my daughter’s name and photo immediately.
2. Go to the NYS MECC website and do a search on Anastasiya Macy, and you will see that her name and photo do not appear there. You are doing a disservice by posting outdated and inaccurate information. the NYS MECC is the ONLY SOURCE of accurate information about my daughter. Going around to other websites and picking up their inaccurate information and re-posting on your own site does nothing to advance the cause of missing and exploited children. Do your research.”
“JEFFREY said,
November 9, 2016 @ 3:19 pm
Jeffrey, Again I apologize I was upset. You can see the confusion that went on with the case. I have spoke with my son , He states that he is ok , And living a great healthy life. I love him very much , More than anything. I offered to bring him home , But he states he is happy there , He knows that he can come home if he wants . And I hope he can If that’s his wish. He has never said a bad thing about being there .I am welcome to call him anytime. I believe he is well provided for and has a good family . He always looks clean and well groomed. I thank the lord for that. No I have not seen my son . But we talk and skype That’s his home now. I think he would like to get his picture and his life off the internet. I had no intension of kicking dirt at any one or any country . ( I JUST NEEDED TO KICK DIRT ) I also speak with his mother and Agreeably on most things. It could be worse.”
These posts cannot be anything other than credible and current sources straight from the horse’s mouth or so to speak setting the records straight. No troll is going to talk this way about someone else’s kid.
forthelost said,
March 9, 2017 @ 1:31 am
If I didn’t remove them, you’d have a case. Are any of those cases still on my site?