
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 4, 1990                   TAG: 9005040476
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

CHILD-KIN ABDUCTIONS MORE THAN ESTIMATED

As many as 4,600 children were abducted nationwide by non-family members in 1988, and more than 100,000 were the targets of attempted abductions, primarily by passing motorists, according to the first comprehensive study of the number of children missing in the United States.

The study, released Thursday by the Justice Department, also estimated that more than 350,000 children were abducted by family members during the same time, most often in connection with child custody cases. The number was at least three times as great as previous estimates, according to the report.

Many of the abductions involving non-family members ended within hours, often after sexual assaults, but 200 to 300 children disappeared for longer periods or were killed, according to the study.

Despite widespread publicity about specific child abduction cases - including the July 1989 Northern Virginia slaying of 10-year-old Rosie Gordon and the disappearance in December of 5-year-old Melissa Brannen - efforts to develop public policy and allocate funds have been severely hampered by a lack of knowledge about the problem.

Police generally do not categorize crimes by the age of the victim, and most nationwide data on child abductions have been compiled by private child-welfare organizations.

The study, called "Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children in America," was mandated by Congress in 1984. Prepared by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, it attempted to compile the number of crimes in one year against all children younger than 18.

Although most child abductions involve family members, the estimated 3,200 to 4,600 cases involving non-family members were significant, researchers and child-welfare advocates said.

Andrea J. Sedlak, one of three authors of the study, said Thursday that "the biggest surprise to us" was the number of children abducted by family members. Previous estimates, based primarily on guesswork, have ranged from 25,000 to 100,000, she said.

by CNB