Has a child ever been taken from DW?

[Tinker74]

Hi.. ...Iam asking this because of a TV programme I was watching a couple of days ago. Iam from the UK and the show..Holiday swaps..was about two families who swap their usual holiday for the other families...the cameras follow them to see how they get on.
Anyway one family had two kids age 7 and 8 . Their usual holiday was to Florida and the theme parks. ...But this time they were going to The country side in Holland.
The mother ended up loving the holiday because she said her children had so much more freedom...That when she is in the MK she dare not let them out of her sight for a minute and her and her dh even use those wrist stap things to attach each child to them.

It made me realise that we do seem to have a certain paranoia here in the UK about DW...A lot of people think if you turn yopur back your child will be kidnapped.
As iam on these boards so much this is defo not what I think ...But it did make me wonder what basis this paranoia comes from??
Everyone here always seems relaxed about there holiday to DW...obviously we all take precautions with our children whereever in the world we go. But why do so many false rumors exsist in the UK.

 

[alite]

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=31948

Not sure about the false rumors, but you have to be careful where ever you go.

 

[Huggles]

I don't think it's paranoia about their child being kidnapped at DW but merely anxiety about their child becoming lost amongst vast crowds of people and the distress it would cause them and the child. I mean, the concentration of numbers of people at DW are way above anywhere else we usually experience. Are you suggesting, for example, that they would be any less attentive with their kids during an international football match at Wembley ( when it was still there)?

It is purely the fear of losing your child in an exceptionally busy strange place and the resulting distress for all concerned IMHO.

BTW I've never heard of anyone having such a paranoia about kidnapping at DW...most folk just can't wait to get there and have fun. In fact I think most folk let their guard down a lot more because of the relaxed atmosphere ( unless their child is a 'runner').

 

[Tinker74]

Yes thats what I mean Huggles. I too have never heard of anyone on these boards being worried about Kidnappings. Thats why I think it might be a Uk thing. Because most people here do not know very much at all about DW then all sorts of rumors seem to start.
I even remember a few yrs ago a co worker telling me that DW was the kidnapping centel of the world and she would never go there.
Obviously this is rubbish...But at the time I was shocked and taken in by that.

Basically I want someone to confirm to me that it is rubbish...so I can tell people that. At the time I knew nothing about DW so I couldn't respond with an answer.

Of course I would worry about the crowd thing..just like crowds anywhere...But some people seem to think there is more to worry about than crowds.

 

[ducklite]

To my knowledge there has never been a substantiated kidnao at WDW. There have been a ton of stories that start off "This is true! It happened to my best friend's grandmother's sister-in-law's nephew's wife's cousin's step-mother's neighbors grandaughters classmates cousins neighbor's nephew..."

Anne

 

[Tinker74]

Thats what I suspected. So its true then that there has never been an actual documented case of kidnapping.
Wow that link above is shocking...But it sounds like the attacks were in and around Orlando...rather that in the actual parks..i could be wrong though.
I guess there are bad people everywhere...and DW though the most magical place on earth can never be totally protected from bad things ...No where can. But its comforting to know that its not actually worse than other places...IFYKWIM.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

To my knowledge there has never been a substantiated kidnao at WDW. There have been a ton of stories that start off "This is true! It happened to my best friend's grandmother's sister-in-law's nephew's wife's cousin's step-mother's neighbors grandaughters classmates cousins neighbor's nephew..."

Anne

I heard about that one, Anne! Although I thought it was the best friend's grandmother's sister-in-law's nephew's wife's cousin's step-mother's neighbors grandaughters classmates cousins neighbor's neice.

 

[Hannathy]

You forgot twice removed!

I would just remind the folks in the UK of the little boy that was lured away by the older boys and killed and it was caught on camera them leading him away and that HAPPENED in the UK. That scares me a lot more than the extremely to almost statistically non existent threat of a randomn/non-family kidnapping, especially at a place with millions of children have gone and the fact it has never happened there.