Seconds count when a child goes missing

(11/13/05 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- Hundreds of thousands of children go missing every year. Most child abductions don't end in murder, but in the cases that do, time is not on a parent's side.

Kidnappings turn to murder, according to federal data, within three hours of an abduction, but research shows it takes most parents two hours to even report a missing child to the police. When every second counts, you won't have time to learn what to do. You have to learn now.

Few families are as prepared to tell you about abduction as Bob and Gay Smither.

"I remember parts of it," said Gay. "A blur of panic, terror, and hysteria."

On April 3, 1997, their 12-year-old daughter, Laura, went for a morning run and never came home.

"We knew right away something was very, very wrong," she said.

From that moment, the clock is ticking and there is no time to waste if an abductor is bent on murder.

"It's usually in the first three hours, so every second is precious," said Gay.

In the first minute you know something is wrong, all 911. In the next 10 minutes, while waiting for police, write everything down - what your child was doing, wearing, who she or he was seeing. No detail is irrelevant.

"You're just desperate to find your child," said Gay. "You're just going 90 miles per hour to find your child.

"And you're not thinking clearly," added Bob.

While you're waiting for police, though, resist temptation to search your child's room.

"Don't disturb anything in your child's room or bathroom," said Captain Shari Burrows with the Friendswood Police Department. "We understand the temptation, but that's the worst thing you can do."

Police will need evidence and search dogs may need a scent. When the police arrive, hopefully within the first half hour, start talking. It's not the time to hide embarrassing details about your family.

"First thing we want to hear is honesty, but more than honesty, we want them to tell us everything they can," said Captain Burrows.

By the end of the first hour, be demanding if you need to. Insist your child be put in the nationwide computer database and remind officers that by Texas law, there is no such thing as a 24-hour waiting period in cases like this.

"There were patrol cars out looking for her within a half hour," said Bob.

By the start of hour number two, find a friend - someone who can think clearly for you and help sort through the madness. While you talk to police, they should call places like the Laura Recovery Center or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. You'll need their help and they'll help you get fliers out in the first few hours.

"We burned out our copier running copies and putting them in neighbors' doors," said Bob.

The fliers and police will need pictures of your child. Hand over a recent one, but not your only one. You'll want copies for the media. And you should call us within 90 minutes of the disappearance.

"This is what we needed to go to get Laura's picture out there," said Bob.

The media will help get word out. By this time, a few hours after you know something is wrong, time may seem to slow down. The police and volunteers may be searching and you need to think of yourself and your family.

"It's the hardest thing when your child is missing to take care of yourself," said Gay. "You don't know if your child is eating, drinking, warm."

The Smithers exhaustive search lasted 17 days and ended in the worst way imaginable.

"We both ran back into the house where we could be private and just screamed," said Bob. "What else can you do?"

Since then, they've established the Laura Recovery Center in Friendswood and work all the time to reunite families. They don't want any family to live with the pain they are still sorting through.

Laura Smither's parents believe they know who killed Laura. He's in prison for another crime, but he's never been charged in Laura's killing.

They encourage you to work with your children right away. Their Laura Recovery Center has a child identification kit which helps in an emergency. Here's the link: http://www.lrcfoundation.org/idkit.html
(Copyright © 2005, KTRK-TV)

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