Kidnap-Proof Your College Student

On July 18, 2018, soon-to-be-University of Iowa-sophomore Mollie Tibbetts vanished from her boyfriend’s home in a town of less than 2000 people. She had a supportive family, solid boyfriend, good friends, summer job and strong Christian faith. She had no known enemies and no reason to run away. A few days later, she was found dead in a cornfield, murdered by a stranger who abducted her while she was out jogging.

This tragic story got me thinking about other murdered college-aged girls — Hannah Graham who, in 2014, was abducted, raped and killed after leaving a campus party; Sierah Joughlin, who was killed after a 58-year-old neighbor abducted her while she was out for a bike ride; the University of Georgia student who was attacked and almost abducted after a stranger grabbed her and tried to drag her into a car. Most of us think of younger children when we worry about a stranger snatching our child off the street. But given that sexual assault is often the goal of stranger abductions in the United States, is this really who is most at risk?

The Truth About Stranger Abductions

Contrary to popular belief, teenagers are the most frequent victims of both stranger kidnappings as well as nonfamily (friend, acquaintance) abductions; in fact, 80% of stranger abductors snatch children 12 and older. Seventy percent of these victims are girls…