When a child vanishes.......

I would think all cases would be different. In some instances, one would certainly look at the parents first, especially if they had been listed as mistreating their children previously, but also, if they'd failed to report the disappearance of the child. However, I also think that they should open the net a bit wider and make enquiries outside the family home at the same time. I doubt the parents or step-parents are going to run far, so they could be investigated later. It's a difficult one, depending on clues and availability of evidence. Without any of these, where would you start?

I think that they do it because they have no one else to blame and the parents are easy targets. I think its really messed up though cause 95% of the time the parents had nothing to do with it and the police just make a bad situation worse by blaming them for killing or doing something bad to their kid. I know I'd be really pissed if someone did that to me. Cops are stupid half the time anyway, they like to take the easy road instead of doing actual work.

As far as I know it a policeteam never focuses solely on the parents. While some of them investigate the parents some canvass the neighbourhood and school or pull files of sexoffenders who live in the area. It amy look like they supect the parents first but in fact their range may be much broader than one can see.

I think from the moment the child is reported missing everyone should be suspect. No matter how close or far their relationship is. In these times, we never can tell. I sympathize with parents who genuinely love their children and have to be subjected to investigations. We recently had a report of kidnappings here. Victims were high school students who failed to come home after school. One victim was found floating in the river a few days ago with her organs missing. What has the world come to?

yaa u r right........

ya u r right...

Why wouldn't it be right? They have to clear them as suspects first. Don't you ever watch CourtTV. Besides when a person is murdered, the killer is usuaaly someone that knew her, maybe even best. They might not be killers but yo have to keep that perspective open.

I agree with you. Of all the kidnapping cases its often not the parents who are the culprits. The cops waste precious time that could be used to find the other suspects. I think they should rather than being quick to point out to the parents first try and retrace the steps of the child that led to the kidnapping and then work it from there. They shoudl do a forward elimination process rather than a backward one.

i think the police should investigate the parents first about some things before disappearance its very important that they will know especially the age , the friends shes with or whatever that could lead to the missing girl..

my opinion that our crime branch should have the right to investigate the matters step by step. as in the case, the father of child is not real, he may be culprit. secondly, police should also investigate neighbours about child kidnaps. it is seen that some unsocial elements kidnaps the child for getting few wealth without knowing the result of punishment. Thirdly, police should spend much time to inspect child as soon as possible being formal formalities. because to save the child's life is important.

I agree sometimes they are so focused on the parents that the real culprit is given extra time to get away. I can't imagine how difficult it is to be worried about what happened to your child and the police keep questioning you instead of looking for them. I do think the parents need to be questioned but the looking should begin immediately. I would lose my ever loving mind if it was me being questioned and my child was missing...*sigh*

As sad as it is, in most cases the family or close friends are the perpetrators. And actually only a few cops are assigned to interragating the parents, while a few others are looking into other suspects. I;m more concerned about the parents who can actually do such things to thier own children.

In an ideal world, the police would be able to investigate all possiblities, but the truth of the matter is that it is often very difficult to do so. Thousands of children go missing every day, murders are constantly being committed and many less serious crimes occur every second of the day. Obviously, the police are not able to focus completely on every single case and put all manpower into it, as sad as that is.

In real life the parents are not the first ones that are looked at but if they were it is probably because the pattern has been established that the kid was well protected by mommy & daddy so who else would have access to the kids? Honestly, gone are the days of acres of "safe space" and of letting your kids out to play for hours while they roam the neighborhood & torture the neighbor's cats. There are a lot of sickos out there & its important to keep your kids safe. More & more though there are stories of kids who have run off from strangers or bit them as they were taken into their car & gotten away so that is really positive. As well, a friend of mine is a social worker & she was able to find out that over 57% of cases, at least in Canada, are because of custody disagreements between the parents--so that would explain why in some instances why the parents are looked at first.

In all but a few cases I would agree with you! Why waste valuable minutes with the parents! I'd like to know the percentage of parents that are cleared as opposed to those who are not. I would surmize that most parents are not guilty of the crime, and with those stats I do believe that time is being wasted. Taking into account my own feelings if one of my children had been kidnapped, I would have taken great offense to the fact that I was being held suspect.