Experts are giving parents tips about the patterns and behaviors of child predators.
As many kids around the nation are heading back to school in person, experts are issuing warnings for parents on what to look out for to keep their kids safe. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), most children are abducted while they are traveling to and from school.
In addition, the center says that school-age children at the most at-risk, with child predators typically making their move right before school, right after school, and after dinner, Fox News reports.
During an interview with Fox News, Callahan Walsh said that the periods of which predators are attempting to abduct children are using when the kid is walking to the school bus or walking home from the school bus” or “waiting at the school bus stop.” Walsh, who is the son of John Walsh, a child advocate for the NCMEC, added: “We always tell parents, don’t let your child walk to the school bus stop alone. At least have them using the buddy system with another child.”
The core times for child predators are 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Walsh says a parent should report child abductions and attempted child abductions immediately.
“Sometimes these attempted abductions aren’t even reported to law enforcement as parents will say, ‘We dodged the bullet on that one scary situation,'” Walsh said. “They might not think it’s something that they need to report, but they absolutely should – because not only do you have this individual who’s now tried it once, gained some experience from it, maybe building up courage to do it again, but you also have the ability to learn from it.”
