Runaway or Abducted?
When a child goes missing, the first hours are critical.
Runaways or Victims? The Dangerous Assumption
When a child goes missing, the first hours are critical. Yet too often, law enforcement's initial response hinges on a dangerous assumption: that the missing child is simply a runaway rather than a victim of abduction or trafficking.
The Default Label
The statistics surrounding missing children are deceptive. While many missing children do leave home voluntarily, labeling every case as a "runaway" can have deadly consequences. This default classification often determines how urgently law enforcement responds, what resources they deploy, and whether they consider more sinister possibilities like abduction or human trafficking.
Investigative journalist Lise Olsen's work highlights this critical issue. Her recent book, reviewed by trafficking expert Dottie Laster, examines how the rush to classify missing children as runaways can blind investigators to signs of trafficking and abduction. These early misjudgments can cost precious time when hours matter most. How many could have been saved if police had not discounted those victims as runaways. There were 29 murdered probably more yet unknown.
The Hidden Reality
The truth is more complex than the runaway label suggests. Even children who initially leave home voluntarily become vulnerable to exploitation. Traffickers specifically target runaway youth, knowing they're isolated from support systems and less likely to be actively sought by law enforcement. What begins as a runaway situation can quickly evolve into trafficking.
Consider these facts:
One in seven reported runaways becomes a victim of sex trafficking
Most trafficking victims are initially classified as runaways
The first 48 hours after a child goes missing are crucial for recovery
Delayed responses increase the risk of exploitation exponentially
The Investigative Gap
When law enforcement treats a missing child as a runaway, they often:
Delay immediate search efforts
Minimize resource allocation
Assume the child will return on their own
Fail to investigate potential trafficking connections
Miss critical early evidence
This approach stands in stark contrast to how abduction cases are handled, where immediate response, AMBER alerts, and full resource deployment are standard protocol.
The Need for Change
What's needed is a fundamental shift in how missing child cases are approached:
Every missing child should trigger an urgent response, regardless of circumstances
Trafficking should be considered as a possibility in every case
Resources should be deployed immediately, not after delays for "verification"
Training for law enforcement must emphasize the runaway-to-trafficking pipeline
The classification system should be reformed to prevent dangerous assumptions
Learning from Investigations
Olsen's work, along with insights from experts like Dottie Laster, demonstrates that many children classified as runaways were actually trafficking victims from the start. These cases reveal patterns that could have been recognized earlier if investigators hadn't been constrained by the runaway assumption.
When we examine missing children's cases that ended tragically, a common thread emerges: the initial classification as a runaway delayed critical intervention. These delays allowed traffickers to move victims across jurisdictions, establish control, and create barriers to recovery.
A Call for Reform
The distinction between runaways and abduction victims should not determine the urgency of response. Every missing child deserves:
Immediate investigation
Full resource deployment
Consideration of all possibilities, including trafficking
Proactive rather than reactive measures
Until law enforcement agencies reform their approach to missing children, the dangerous gap between runaway assumptions and trafficking realities will continue to put vulnerable youth at risk.
The bottom line is clear: we cannot afford to make assumptions when children's lives are at stake. The runaway label should never be an excuse for delayed action or diminished concern.
Dottie Reviews The Scientist and the Serial Killer: By Lise Olsen
Dottie takes a moment to review this momentous book that was decades in the creation. It’s about the search for Houston's Lost Boys. And what Dottie has to say about this important work may surprise you. Attitudes that existed 50 years ago still prevent the actual abolishment of human trafficking and abductions.