Odd Situation At MGM Today

[lovetoscrap]

I agree that if it turned out to be just a lost child (that they thought might have been kidnapped), it would not make the news.

We live near Williamsburg and went out to do some shopping the beginning of Dec. It was their big holiday weekend--people in from all over the country just for these events etc... Long story, but basically we had to sit at the edge of the parking lot when we tried to leave, for almost 2 hours, because there was a suspicious package in the lot. Our car was in the roped off area so we couldn't leave. At one point we were told they had also evacuated the Visitor's Center--but that wasn't confirmed. Initially local police were called in, but by the end the Feds, Homeland Security, Naval Ordinance Disposal Unit, local Fire Dept etc.. were all involved. No one would really give us any information, just that it was a suspicious package. Of course in the end it was nothing and we were allowed to get our car and leave.

We figured that for sure there would be information about it in the papers. Bomb Scare at the area's major tourist attraction on their biggest weekend of the year and all. Visitors were being turned away, others were unable to leave. That seems news worthy!

But there was no mention in then news anywhere. Nothing! I think that these days there is so much news that actually happens, the "might have beens" just aren't newsworthy. As long as it has a happy ending and there is no way to sensationalize it then not worth the space.

 

[snowbunny]

While you might not have meant to say that you didn't believe catherinesmom.... IMHO your post (see my highlighten parts) comes off as very sarcastic and doubtful that that catherinesmom was being truthful

It's difficult to convey tone on a message board, but I was not being sarcastic. I was asking, seriously, and not to her but to the board, why no one else learned what she was told. I apologize if that made catherinesmom feel defensive, but I still think it's a valid question.

Look, the news media is far more concerned with 24/7 coverage of a "runaway bride" than American soldiers dying every day overseas. I reject the argument that horrible things happen constantly and local news desks simply yawn. There is a saying that anyone who has worked in local news will be familiar with: "If it bleeds, it leads."

 

[Feralpeg]

I finally talked to my neighbor. He is an exec at Disney. He had been out of town, so he didn't have any definitive details. He did say that based on what I told him, it was almost certainly a missing child. Those are the procedures in place if the child isn't discovered within a very short time inside the park. The fact that we never heard anything about it means that the child was safely recovered.

 

[snowbunny]

I finally talked to my neighbor. He is an exec at Disney. He had been out of town, so he didn't have any definitive details. He did say that based on what I told him, it was almost certainly a missing child. Those are the procedures in place if the child isn't discovered within a very short time inside the park. The fact that we never heard anything about it means that the child was safely recovered.

Thank you. Thus, what the officer said to catherinesmom on the bus probably was erroneous or inaccurate. That is all I was trying to ask.

 

[CathrynRose]

Obviously being English i have no idea what the patriot Act is but i am assuming it is similar to the Terrorism laws and Public order laws we have.

I cannot understand why anyone in this thread would be annoyed or object to a search by by a Police Officer. If a a Police Officer wants to search you for whatever reason (looking for Anthrax for instance?) then why can't they?

They are there to Protect and Serve and if that involves random searches so be it.

I can answer this - because the American public in large has become a society of people wanting their cake, and being able to eat it, too.

We want security and safety - yet we dont want anyone invading our privacy, but we want to find out immediatly if someone invades ours.

We'll sue you if you look at us funny, but question why there are so many rules and regulations and warnings - regarding everything, at all.

Coming from a family of not only law enforcment, but federal agents as well - I think it's a dang shame how difficult it has become for them to perform their job.

 

[CathrynRose]

[ If this man were any hotter, he would spontaneously combust. If I found him any more attractive, I would be combusting spontaneously!!!

Your picture - MMMMM, Wentwoth is a hot tamale! YUM!

 

[snowbunny]

We want security and safety - yet we dont want anyone invading our privacy, but we want to find out immediatly if someone invades ours.

"They that would give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- Benjamin Franklin

 

[MyGoofy26]

Thank you. Thus, what the officer said to catherinesmom on the bus probably was erroneous or inaccurate. That is all I was trying to ask.

Not necessarily. I'd imagine that the sight of police stopping every guest trying to leave property would be enough to make a kidnapper want to ditch the kid and run before even getting near the exits.

 

[profdsny]

First off, police officers are often mis-informed. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes simply by accident.(Remember the person telling one of the boards a few years back that their pd was telling them that flashing your headlights at a car with their's off meant come shoot me?)
Secondly, it is not uncommon for a police officer to bend, or stretch the truth to explain his or her actions.
Given the situation, I think it is extremely unlikely that a child was kidnapped. HOWEVER, knowing how some people tend to overreact, it could well have been that the person who was missing her child imediatelly assumed that because the child wasn't within 10 feet, and CMs could not find him or her within 5 mintues that the child certainly was kidnapped. I can only picture a Gilda Radner moment after the child was discovered looking at snow globes in the Emporium after an APB was given, and cars were being stopped and searched : "Never mind"

 

[DURANFAN2]

My family has been going to disney since the park opened.
We live in FL. I've never heard of a real kidnapping, though I do remember a new born was left in a toliet in tommorrow land a few years back. (Baby ended up OK).
We go so much, but some time this year we were in one of the parks either EPCOT or the MK and there was one of these emergency child things happening. Though evidently the kid was found within minutes.

Far as the police, they REALLY are needed. Theres way too many people breaking speed limits and probably even driving DUI on property. It really all goes back to the way our society is acting these days. People use to be so relaxed and polite in general while on vacation at disney, now in general its the 'me first attitude" even if it means knocking kids or old people over.

 

[catherinesmom]

The child in question, if she was near in age to my own child, was young. Young as in two, maybe three, tops. According to the police officer who questioned me, the child had been in a stroller, not walking on her own. Again, according to the officer, witnesses saw the woman wheel the stroller away, but assumed the child belonged to the woman until her parents realized she was missing and began searching for her. He had a very specific description to go on.

I don't know what the resolution was, only that they found the child safe at some point.

 

[DisMN]

First off, police officers are often mis-informed. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes simply by accident.(Remember the person telling one of the boards a few years back that their pd was telling them that flashing your headlights at a car with their's off meant come shoot me?)
Secondly, it is not uncommon for a police officer to bend, or stretch the truth to explain his or her actions.
Given the situation, I think it is extremely unlikely that a child was kidnapped. HOWEVER, knowing how some people tend to overreact, it could well have been that the person who was missing her child imediatelly assumed that because the child wasn't within 10 feet, and CMs could not find him or her within 5 mintues that the child certainly was kidnapped. I can only picture a Gilda Radner moment after the child was discovered looking at snow globes in the Emporium after an APB was given, and cars were being stopped and searched : "Never mind"

Excellent post and I tend to agree. Love the "never mind" bit.
We've certainly become a society that panics at the slightest momentary disappearance of a child. That's really sad and pretty silly when I think of all the times my DD would play "hide" in clothing racks or under a chair somewhere. My first thought was never OMG someone TOOK her....even though local children/people occasionally went "missing" permanently.

 

[NotUrsula]

Again, according to the officer, witnesses saw the woman wheel the stroller away, but assumed the child belonged to the woman until her parents realized she was missing and began searching for her.

Is it just me, or does this strike anyone else as really bizarre? If you are watching a parade with a child in a stroller, you will almost always have your hands on the stroller handle, just because you'll be standing behind it. How does someone get into position to wheel the entire stroller away, child and all, without the parent noticing? (I'm not doubting what you were told; I just can't see how it could happen that way.)

 

[DURANFAN2]

I wouldn't doubt if for the reason some parents get SO caught up in the disney experience they get VERY distracted. Also, some of them must tend to feel that the kids are 100% safe coz they're at WDW.
I can't believe the amount of parents that allow their kids to strike up conversations with total strangers and not even watch them while they are doing it.
For example, I was at a non lifeguard resort pool last year and this young girl maybe 7 years old at the most kept approaching me to talk about disney, where she's from and such. Number #1 her parents were in chairs on the other end of the pool area not even paying attention that she's chatting up adults, #2 wouldn't you think they would be watching a 7 year old without any kind of floats in a non life guard pool with 6ft deep waters?

 

[Feralpeg]

Yesterday, DD and I were at the Milena Mall here in Orlando. It was extremely crowded. It took me ten minutes just to find a parking space. We decided to sit down in the food court for a drink. There is an open area in the food court that is carpeted and ringed by cushioned seats. I sat there and watched some kids playing. They appeared to be about 3 to 4 years of age. The parent was sitting there, but appeared to be oblivious to the kids. He was just looking around. The kids would play in the carpeted area for awhile and then they would run out of the area and around tables and such. There were so many people there. He couldn't have possibly kept an eye on them when they left the carpeted area. They always ran back in there, but I couldn't help think that they could easily have become disoriented. They were little kids in a huge, crowded area.

 

[jann1033]

Is it just me, or does this strike anyone else as really bizarre? If you are watching a parade with a child in a stroller, you will almost always have your hands on the stroller handle, just because you'll be standing behind it. How does someone get into position to wheel the entire stroller away, child and all, without the parent noticing? (I'm not doubting what you were told; I just can't see how it could happen that way.)

i can easily see how this could happen, maybe they had a few kids and turned toward one or were taking a picture or what ever. they could have gone to the restroom left the kid outside with another parent and one of the other kids took off. parent turned to get them and woman took stroller. it would take a second to wheel a stroller away and disapear in a semi crowded area.. other senerio is ditzy parent grabbed the wrong stoller and didn't notice the kid inside

and the fact it isn't reported could mean a kidnapper never got away with it due to the security. like some one mentioned they could have ditched the child and left, nobody the wiser. and i doubt they would report a "lost" child. although most people who would kidnap a child probably would have an idea about the security at wdw and go someplace easier. recently a young girl in our area was taken from a gas station( or someplace similar) they caught it on a security camera but i don't think the man has been caught and unfortunatly killed the girl. no one saw him and it was around dinner time (i think) but how long does it take? evidently not long enough for someone to see it.

unfortunatly bad things happen everywhere. at least wdw is aware and takes steps to limit the probability

 

[MyGoofy26]

Is it just me, or does this strike anyone else as really bizarre? If you are watching a parade with a child in a stroller, you will almost always have your hands on the stroller handle, just because you'll be standing behind it. How does someone get into position to wheel the entire stroller away, child and all, without the parent noticing? (I'm not doubting what you were told; I just can't see how it could happen that way.)

Not necessarily. Last week I was standing in the MK before Cinderellabration and a family came up, sat the youngest (maybe 2?) on the trash can on one side of us, and the dad walked over to stand on the other side of us so he could lean against the little fence. Mom kept leaving the youngest on the trash can to go over and talk to dad. Sometimes people just don't realize how quickly something bad can happen.

Plus I've seen a LOT of people stop a stroller on a parade route and take seats next to it rather than stand behind it. All it takes is the family getting too deep in conversation with their attention directed elsewhere to create that moment of opportunity.

 

[DisMN]

Not necessarily. Last week I was standing in the MK before Cinderellabration and a family came up, sat the youngest (maybe 2?) on the trash can on one side of us, and the dad walked over to stand on the other side of us so he could lean against the little fence. Mom kept leaving the youngest on the trash can to go over and talk to dad. Sometimes people just don't realize how quickly something bad can happen.

Plus I've seen a LOT of people stop a stroller on a parade route and take seats next to it rather than stand behind it. All it takes is the family getting too deep in conversation with their attention directed elsewhere to create that moment of opportunity.

But that moment of opportunity is for the child to get lost, not for someone to actually TAKE a child. I think the whole child kidnapping fears are way way out of control and this thread is just another example of that. Children are constantly wandering away from a distracted family and my first thought is never that they've been kidnapped.......when did this fear get so out of control?
I'm really thankful for sites like snopes, sites that debunk the rumors that go around like the one about kids getting kidnapped at theme parks.

 

[ralphd]

Disney contracted for the Orange County Sheriff's Dept to increase their deputies on property by 50% earlier this year.

 

[lovethattink]

I had something happen to me at the exit of Buzz Lightyear. DH was walking behind me. He put ds on the floor. Ds grabbed my hand, or so I thought. I turned to point out Zurg to him, and here I was holding the hand of a small girl. It surprised her as much as it surprised me. Her family somehow got ahead of her and were looking at their pictures from the ride. They had no idea their daughter was with me. I walked her over to them. But families can get easily distracted.