Oh nice!! Just found out that the other attempt to take a child was only ONE BLOCK away from this child's route.

WHY? WHY? WHY would her mother let her walk there??!

Also, and this may be just me, but does anyone else think it's weird to give a 7yo girl a backpack that's black with pink and white skulls and crossbones on it?

Jstkiddn said:link

Let me first state that I have the greatest of sympathy for this mother. I cannot fathom how she must be feeling right now.

But still....is it just me?

Would you allow your 7 yr. old child to walk one mile through a neighborhood that has 75 known sex offenders in a five mile radius? A neighborhood where an attempt was made to lure another child into a car just 10 days ago?

All I can say is no way in HELL my kid would be walking with no adult supervision. Not even for one block. Not even half a block.

It's not 1955 Mayberry anymore folks!

only difference is that in 1955 no one 'knew' abotu the sex offenders. I doubt its a new trend. Just one more talked about.

I geuss ignorace can be Bliss.

Jstkiddn said: Would you allow your 7 yr. old child to walk one mile through a neighborhood that has 75 known sex offenders in a five mile radius? A neighborhood where an attempt was made to lure another child into a car just 10 days ago?And my 15 yr old calls me overprotective for the short leash I have on her...oh well. It's not safe for a cute tiny 15 yr old to walk alone. It's only been the last year that she was able to walk the neighborhood with a friend.

IMO, a mother who does this is either entirely clueless, entirely too trusting, or too wrapped up in her own issues (boyfriends, drug use, etc) to care.

Just down the area from me. Kids watching kids on the walk home!! NEver

MadAnthony said:Jstkiddn said:
Would you allow your 7 yr. old child to walk one mile through a neighborhood that has 75 known sex offenders in a five mile radius? A neighborhood where an attempt was made to lure another child into a car just 10 days ago?

All I can say is no way in HELL my kid would be walking with no adult supervision. Not even for one block. Not even half a block.

It's not 1955 Mayberry anymore folks!

Actually, stranger abductions are fairly rare. 115 total in 2002. As far as dangers go, there are much more dangerous things to protect kids from than stranger abductions, and if anything I think most parents are overly paranoid about them. They should be more worried about their kids getting hit by a car or drowning in a bucket.

Can't agree with you there, MA. Stats are only stats til it's your kid. A parent's number one nightmare is that something happens to one of their kids. We spend a lot of time making sure it doesn't. As this case (and so many others) illustrate, it takes one lapse of judgment at the wrong time and suddenly, your kid has gone missing or is found dead.

Rare or not, I don't think some added paranoia is a bad thing. I'm not gonna keep them in a bubble, but common sense dictates that there needs to be some concern.

Sanjoelo said:MadAnthony said: Actually, stranger abductions are fairly rare. 115 total in 2002. As far as dangers go, there are much more dangerous things to protect kids from than stranger abductions, and if anything I think most parents are overly paranoid about them. They should be more worried about their kids getting hit by a car or drowning in a bucket.Can't agree with you there, MA. Stats are only stats til it's your kid. A parent's number one nightmare is that something happens to one of their kids. We spend a lot of time making sure it doesn't. As this case (and so many others) illustrate, it takes one lapse of judgment at the wrong time and suddenly, your kid has gone missing or is found dead.

Rare or not, I don't think some added paranoia is a bad thing. I'm not gonna keep them in a bubble, but common sense dictates that there needs to be some concern.Parents feel like they have some control over their kids getting hit by a car or drowning in a bucket; with abductions, it's different, and I'm guessing the worst part is that it's potentially very open-ended. The kid could never be found.

A bullet to the back of the head, delivered quicker than 15-20 years after conviction, is what the killer desperately needs. Forget about deterrents, inhumane punishment, costs, etc. This type of person has proven that he/she just needs to be removed from the planet.

MSNBC: "The partially covered body of the child was found at a site near the Florida state line, after investigators followed garbage trucks leaving from the neighborhood where Thompson disappeared Monday."

MSNBC: "Thompson vanished on her mile-long walk home from school Monday in Orange Park. She was squabbling with another child, and her sister told her to stop. The girl got upset, walked ahead of the group and wasn't seen again."

It's amazing the tools and/or ideas investigators use anymore to find a body.

Got to wonder how the sister is feeling today knowing that her attempt at helping her sister behave is what caused her sister to separate from the group. I can only hope some clown doesn't try to make her feel like it is her fault.

Her mom is on the Today Show this morning. She has done several interviews, and you can tell she is deeply hurting, but she is able to stand and answer questions and talk about this case like it was six months old. I don't know how she's doing it...doubt I could.