Disturbing incident in MK

[NotUrsula]

According to snopes.com, there has never been a documented kidnapping from a Disney theme park (Ref. ://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/kidnap.htm)
"In truth, no child has ever been kidnapped from a Disney theme park ..."

Calypso, I hate to disagree with what seems like sensible caution, but Valentine is right about ID. If you are going to put ID on your child in case he gets lost, you *do* need to put it in a visible place. CM's are NOT allowed to undress children to look for hidden identification. While you shouldn't make it readable from a distance by passerby; you should make it obviously accessible to a CM who is attempting to identify a child. You don't need the child's name; information identifying parents and giving contact info is sufficient.

My own child has been instructed to find the nearest CM and then STAY PUT! He has been told never to go anywhere with anyone other than the adults who took him to the park. Our way of explaining this to him is that a "good stranger" will stay with him until we can get back to him, but a "bad stranger" will try to make him go somewhere else. We always stay onsite, and he wears his room key on a neon lanyard at all times; any CM can identify us by the info on that key.

 

[Schmeck]

About the 7 year old at Disneyland and riding the school bus there...



What is wrong with those parents (even if it was 17 years ago...) that they couldn't just get their child after school and take him to Disneyland themselves? Hopefully, they got scared enough that they actually realized a 7 year old is a very young child, and needs better care! Did they regularly send the kid off to other places like this?

Hmm, and why was the school bus going to Disneyland, at 10:00AM? If this was a school field trip, then why didn't the kids have chaperones, or teachers to keep track of them?

 

[MermaidsMom]

TROLL!!! 3 posts and an outrageous story?

 

[crisi]

We put "luggage tags" on our toddlers/preschoolers and safety pin them to clothing. They have their name, their hotel and our names and the cell phone number we carry, but are small enough that strangers can't see them (and my kids know to show them). We also pull aside the first CM we see with the nametag and show the kids the nametag and explain that these are "Mickey's Friends" and if they can't find Mom and Dad Mickey's Friends will help them. So far, no lost kids (I have misplaced mine, I know what that is like, just not at Disney).

From the OP - How old was the child? As said, Disney is less likely to throw out an ABP for a perfectly competent twelve year old than a toddler. There are a few things that don't make sense - for instance Security can't give her a sedative (unless someone is security is a doctor and they would have taken her back to first aid for that). Second, kids and parents are reunited down near the front of the park. That's were they would have taken her if they didn't find the child in the immediate vincinity in a few minutes - don't need to find the kid and loose Mom in the fireworks crowd.

 

[Luv2Roam]

There isn't a time we are at any place on WDW property that I do not see kids out of parent's site.
I am surprised more do not get lost.
I am not a parent, but I think kid leashes are great in a crowded and busy place like WDW. Even adults are abducted from busy parking lots mid-day. It can and does happen.
Better to be safe and secure than frantic.

Perfect example: Monday night as we were leaving Universal, we were on a crowded moving walk way.
A young boy was running ahead of his parents, pushing others out of his way. (They were standing.)
He was way ahead of them in no time. And as he squeezed past people, they in turn were fell back into the spaces.
Talk about a prime opportunity for someone to snatch a kid.

 

[zakatak]

Well, troll or not, this is a subject that scares a lot of parents and it needs to be addressed. Here is my story again:

February 14th, 2002: AKL lobby, watching cartoons, 2 adults, 1 teen, 3 children (ages 19 mo, 3 and 5). Yep, lose track of the 19 month old who NEVER wanders away (until that moment). I ran around for about 1 minute before I contacted a CM at the desk. Then immediately ran off again looking for her, figuring she would be behind a couch or chair or something. Nothing. When the CM approached with the manager, I collapsed . Nothing like all of a sudden being "real". So, my dh was running around, outside and in, they posted someone at the door, notified the lifeguards, and checked the bus stop ! They never made an announcement over the PA, but used the internal system. We had many people in the lobby (especially Mothers) upset and looking because I was hysterically walking in circles crying. After 20 minutes, and a zillion questions "What was she wearing", a housekeeper found her down one of the wings (so the internal system works). When they told me they had her, I started crying HARDER and ran over to where they were bringing her out. I grabbed her, dh showed up and grabbed us (teen babysitter was still watching our other kids at the TV). I think we made quite a few Mothers cry at that moment! I took her up to our room, crying all the time (what did people think of THAT?) and just stared at her for the longest time. She got quite a few treats that day, to say the least!

Anyways... Disney does work fast, they know what they are doing. Oh, when the Housekeeper called up, she said, "I think I have your lost baby". She just wandered down a hallway, at 19 months old! One minute she was sitting watching Mickey Mouse and the next she was gone...

That's my story.

Karen

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Late Feb 2004. Tom Sawyers Island. DBF and I spent an hour helping a woman find her lost child. He was about 5 and had wandered off from his mother and brother on the island. That must have been so scary. Of all the places you don't want to lose a child at WDW, TSI is probably #1.



Luckily he was eventually found in the cave.

 

[punkin]

I have a wandering child. I lost her twice at Epcot during the past 3 years (both times at the world showcase-once she was doing a kidcot activity and just disappeared and once she walked out of a restaurant in Germany to take her dolly for a walk). I also lost her at a water park once. In two cases, she went to an employee and told them she lost her mommy and I was able to get to her within 15 minutes at the most (of course it felt like an eternity). In one case, she came back by herself.

 

[Skyebluesix]

Two years ago we lost our 3yo DS at the Large Disney store in DTD. It was terrifying, but Disney handled it very well. I was not calm (they did not give me a sedative, but I might have needed one!).

My DH notified a CM and immediately they annouced on their walkie talkies that had a situation xxxx. I am not sure what they called it, but it wasn't a child missing it was some generic term. Right away the CM's all had a position in the store they were to go to. Each door was manned and my DH was told to wait outside with another CM--I'm assuming to identify any blonde 3 yo that might leave with someone else.

I waited inside with the main CM as he took in the reports. Every area of the store must be color-coded as CM's started reporting "all clear section red", "all clear section blue", etc. He was not found after all sections reported. I was not getting any calmer. They then announced they had a stage 2 xxxx, This must mean look under the racks, etc because he was hiding in a rack in the next room and that "color" CM reported in with great news.

I really think they handled it as well as can be expected, heck I am sure I was sobbing and yelling and praying, but they gave all the kids a large lolly pop and said have a great vacation.

 

[Mysticalbeauty3]

Well truthfully i think that parents should just keep closer eye on their kids....they shouldnt have to expect disney to go crazy if they didnt go crazy watching them...i know things happen...and i think its great Disney can do what they do to find lost children...i just feel that kids should be watched more....i just got back about a week and a half ago and i saw tons of little kids unsupporvised it was awful...i know it might be false saying that Disney is the number one place for abductions...but think about it...its full of kids and its crazy....it is def. an easy place to abduct children...just my opinion

 

[WDSearcher]

Despite all the urban legends, no child has ever been "taken" from WDW. And, to my knowledge, every child lost has always been found, with the exception of the teenagers who purposely "disappeared" while on vacation (a/k/a running away). There has never been an incident where a child was lost at WDW and never seen again, nor have there ever been incidents where children have been kidnapped or snatched while at the parks.

There are dozens of urban legends out there -- the most popular being the child who was abducted in the restroom and then turned up at the exit with his/her hair cut and colored, groggy on cough syrup and in different clothes, only to be noticed by Disney security -- but they are just that, urban legends. Disney has an outstanding record for child safety in this regard.

As for the incident witnessed by the OP, if the child had not been found, it would have been all over the papers the next day. After a certain amount of time missing, Disney security must call in outside help, and that shows up on the police scans. If it was as crowded as you say, it probably took some time to sift through crowds and find the child, but I have no doubt that he was found. Regarding the suggestion that the family "watch the fireworks," if the mother was as hysterical as you've said, I would imagine the CMs involved in trying to locate the child were simply trying to move the family to another location so that they could do their jobs. There's nothing more difficult than trying to locate a lost child when you've got an hysterical parent screaming at you. An important thing to remember if something like this ever happens to you is to stay as calm as you possibly can. Security folks need to know what the child looks like -- what they're wearing, where you last saw them, hair color, distinguishing marks, etc. You can't tell them all of that if you're out of control.

It may not have looked like there was much going on (other than trying to calm down the mother), but be assured that there is a pretty well-honed system that falls into place when a child is reported missing. Thankfully, most kids end up less than 100 feet from where they disappeared, lost in the crowd or mesmerized by some ride or attraction.

 

[OneMoreTry]

Originally posted by Beca
Wow!! That is scary!!! My older sister was "taken" in a shopping mall when we were little. We were VERY lucky that security found her!!!

I hope there were more measures that Disney took that were simply not observable!!

I heard a story on National Public Radio this past winter, where they interviewed a girl who was part of a...how do I say this....her captors "hired" her out to men. She didn't know her real name, or how old she was. She assumed she had been abducted from her family when she was very small. She met her "men" at DL, otherwise she was kept in a basement of an LA suburb home. The radio said that stats showed that DL was the number 1 place for child abductions. They also said that "normally" these children are killed when they "age out". Somehow this young woman escaped, and is being "hidden" by authorities.

I have a hard time hearing that WDW told people to "try and enjoy the fireworks" while their child was gone. I think that would be a little impossible!!!

Now I am worried...I hope someone posts more info.



Beca

I don't believe all this. A reason not to trust what you hear on NPR.

Many mothers get hysterical when they can't find their kids. (Many mothers get hysterical when their kids have a rash or haven't had a BM in 48 hours.) That doesn't mean WDW is doing anything wrong. I'm positive they deal with multiple lost kids EVERY DAY. It's routine for them, and I'm sure they do it as well as anywhere else.

The LAST thing you want to do when a child is missing is announce it publicly. Giving the name would be horrible. That's like an announcement for child molesters to be on the lookout.

They CAN'T close a park due to a lost child -- no park does that. How gullible are you guys? There are some people that just have to leave. They can watch the exits, and I bet they scrutinize exits carefully whether there is a reported lost child or not. There are things worse than one lost child that could happen at WDW. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a picture of everyone that goes in and out of the parks.

I would let my 13yo go to DQ in spite of the opinions of hysterical mothers. Come on. 13!!!! But then I grew up in Miami. I'm sure I was just as much at risk walking to school at 13 as my kids would be at WDW.

Are you guys PLANTS from Newsweek magazine or just gullible?

Someone close down the thread.

 

[Crazy4mandms]

Just thought I'd post another good tip that I taught my kids, now 8 and 12....if someone ever grabs them and tries to take them tell the kids to scream "THIS IS NOT MY FATHER (or mother)! THIS IS A STRANGER!". If a kid just simply starts yelling and crying then people around may think that he's just throwing a tantrum for mom or dad. Thank God they've never had to use this, but its good to know and will get more attention from bystanders who will hopefully check into it rather than ignoring it as a whiny, spoiled child.

 

[GOB2004]

I was at Disney World the same time, and I must say although I didn't hear of this incident, the Park was extremely crowded that day. I was there with my Mother and 15 year old Daughter. I am shocked though at how lazy (and there is no other term for it) some Parents are with their Kids. I constantly saw kids just wondering behind there parents or running ahead of them. I am talking about little kids who seemed to be up for grabs as to who was watching them. But I guess everyone has a different style of parenting. It just seems that a lot of people take the belief that there kids are safe and nothing will happen. I just find that amazing.

 

[carolinagirl]

After reading this post last night, I was shaken up. Losing a child would be my worst nightmare. Especially losing them in such a large and crowded place such as Disney.

While I know that children do get separated from parents at Disney (and every other theme park for that matter), after thinking about this situation, a couple of things struck me as odd about the situation described in the original post.

Maybe I am just being too skeptical, but would and could Disney give a visitor a sedative?! Doesn't a doctor have to write a prescription for these? I just can't imagine that they would do this. Seems like a huge liability to me.

Also, I just can't believe the a CM would tell the family to go watch the fireworks and they will be in touch while a child is missing. This is incredibly insensitive, and I just have a hard time believing they would suggest this.

I don't doubt that a child could have gotten separated from parents.....but I wonder about the description of how Disney CM's handled the situtation. It just seems a little "off" to me.

 

[stinkerbelle]

Originally posted by 3rugrats
Security had to give her a sedative to calm her down and put her in a wheelchair. They suggested the family go watch the fireworks and they would be in touch.

Hey - we can't find your kid...why don't you go park it over there and watch the fireworks.

yeah right...come on...that just sounds like BS to me.

I mean - I'm sorry that incidents like this happen...but if Disney truely did that...oye...

 

[MomE@Home]

What is a Troll (other than the story book under the bridge type Troll) ?

 

[BRERALEX]

Im sorry but i have a 6 yo who has been to dw twice once when he was three and once when he was 5 i dont know how parents lose their own kids.

I like how disney calls it missing parents, not missing kids.

I always have a hand on his head or a good eyesight of where he is.

 

[tomerin]

Originally posted by 3rugrats
Just back from Disney 5/27-6/1. We had a wonderful time with the exception of the night we spent at the Magic Kingdom on 5/29. As we approached the speedway ride we heard a woman screaming for her child. We figured that he probably wandered and would be found shortly. This was not the case. As I waited for my DH and DSs to come off the ride, I watched this hysterical woman and her family look for their child. After 45 mins he still was not found. Security had to give her a sedative to calm her down and put her in a wheelchair. They suggested the family go watch the fireworks and they would be in touch. After this episode we decided to leave the park. It was extremely crowded that night. We did not notice security at the gate looking for this boy which was very disturbing. Did anyone hear about this incident?? And does anyone know how Disney handles these cases? Other people we know who have lost children at amusement parks said that the park made an announcement and all the exits were closed until their child was found. This did not seem to be the case with Disney.

i cannot believe that anyone who works in disney , in an place the is kid and family oriented, that they would tell someone who lost a child to go and watch fireworks. i also do not believe that anyone who works in security would give anyone anything that resembles medication. if that person has an allergy to the medication think of the lawsuit.

if security is looking for a lost child or a possible abducted child most of the security would be undercover.


i agree that this subject is serious. serious to definitly talk about but i really cant feel that the way it was handled is true.

 

[stinkerbelle]

Originally posted by MomE@Home
What is a Troll (other than the story book under the bridge type Troll) ?

A troll on a message board (like this) likes to posts outlandish posts just to stir things up.

also - they usually like to cause general mayem on the boards by flooding them with useless posts, will post something as 'fact' and then never come back to the post , or it just a general PITA about something.

hope that explanation helps