CNN SATURDAY
Over 300,000 Children
Reported Missing Each Year
Aired July 7, 2001 - 12:15 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back. The disappearance of former intern Chandra Levy has captured the nation's attention, but did you know that more than 300,000 children are reported missing each year? It is a parent's worst nightmare.
And joining us this morning, someone who knows the pain all too well, Steven Slinkard is the father of three missing children. He's with us from Indianapolis, Indiana. And joining us live from Washington is Ann Scofield of the National Center for Missing and Exploited children. Glad to have both of you join us. Thanks very much.
Ann, let me start with you. Those numbers seem so large, 300,000 children missing. What's the difference in children who are taken by parents and criminal abduction?
ANN SCOFIELD, NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN: The distinction primarily is that there are a great number of children abducted primarily by parents. That number is more than 350,000 annually of the more than 450,000 children reported missing. The good news is that the majority of those children are recovered and returned home safely.
KELLEY: When you say majority, how many are recovered?
SCOFIELD: I would say great number, at least 70 to 80 percent of those children are recovered safely and returned home.
KELLEY: So, that is hopeful at least. Steven, you believe that your wife has your three children? Is that right?
STEVEN SLINKARD, FATHER OF MISSING CHILDREN: Yes, ma'am.
KELLEY: And where do you think she's taken them?
SLINKARD: I have no idea. We're not sure if she is in United States or if she is taken the children to Mexico with the gentlemen that she had married about a year after she took off with the kids.
KELLEY: How long have they been gone?
SLINKARD: Since October 17, 1995. So about five years and nine months. KELLEY: Well, now we have some pictures of them. And that's another problem, but it's the new technology that may be of help. Can you tell us about the kids and as we look at them, we've done some of this new technology that actually ages the children?
SLINKARD: This is the third age progression that they've done on the kids. It's real surprising. I'm not sure that if they were standing in front of me that I'd even recognize them, but they do wonderful job. There have been several children located with the age progressions over the years. And it's a very impressive technique they have out there
KELLEY: And your little girl, you thought they have changed her appearance allegedly when your wife took her and took the kids?
SLINKARD: Evidently, they shaved her head and dressed her like a little boy for period of time to kind of change from two girls -- or a girl and two boys. So, into three boys
KELLEY: This has to be very, very painful as many of us as parents can only imagine what you go through. And the way you go through birthdays and holidays, it's got to be very painful.
SLINKARD: It is, and it doesn't get any easier. It seems to get harder as time goes on. You know, we don't who they've become or what they look like, and it's kind of hard to celebrate birthdays or when Little League season rolls around, going to toy stores, you know, just a variety of other things that will trigger your emotions. Everything gets to you when your child is missing.
KELLEY: Yes, harder for you emotionally as the years go on. And Ann, is it harder also the years going on to find them? Does that make it more difficult?
SCOFIELD: It certainly does. Time is of the essence in these cases. As you know, children, particularly at this age, change dramatically, day by day. And so, it's very difficult. The technology that we use today of imaging enhancement is -- has been a great, great technique to trigger the leads that have brought in some of the successes in returning some of these children.
KELLEY: Yes, that's fabulous technology. And as you say, they change so quickly. Ann, what do you recommend when parent thinks that a child missing? What should they do immediately?
SCOFIELD: Immediately, and I'm going to give you a few things and I want to emphasize, parents do these things simultaneously. Some of the red flags that you often hear are abducting parent quitting a job, closing bank accounts in preparation for flight.
Once a child has been abducted, report that child immediately to law enforcement and to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Ensure that the law enforcement agency places that child in the National Crime Information Center computer's missing persons file. This is a national network that allows law enforcement across the nation access to these kinds of reports. If you have not done so, get a legal custody order and ensure that that order is maintained and also available to the local law enforcement agencies.
Most importantly, though, I recommend that parents begin to search for the child themselves. Contact the local travel agencies, airlines, bus and train terminals for recent reservations, If you have access, also contact and check bank accounts to see if they have been closed recently. Check the schools for perhaps transfer of records that a child may have had done by the abducting parent. And also parents may also contact Bureau of Vital Records and flag the birth record of a child in the event that an abducting parent attempts to access another birth record for that child.
KELLEY: And we did, just when were you speaking too, we put up the web address, www.missing kids -- all one word -- .org. And we had the 800 number as well.
Steven, a little bit of time left. Tell us about Team Hope you work with? A lot of us have a great empathy for you, but we certainly have not -- a lot of been in your shoes. But Team Hope you work with, and what do they do?
SLINKARD: Well, Team Hope was established in November of 1998 to help out parents that have missing children to speak to someone who also has a missing child. It's quite different when you speak to someone who's actually been in what are you going through.
So, we're able to call these people, provide them with list of resources, see how they are doing, let them know they are talking with someone who actually is going through what they have gone through and try to identify with them. And then, share as many experiences as we can with them to help them through their period of time that they're waiting to get their child back.
KELLEY: And we hope only for the best there for you.
SLINKARD: Thank you.
KELLEY: Steven Slinkard and Ann Scofield with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, glad that you both could come on because we realize how important media attention is. Thank you.
SLINKARD: Yes, it is. Thank you.
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Steven You did very well as did Ann Scofield. She is amazing. ...and hey, if you were nervous you hid it and shook in your boots! You must have taken those 5 deep breaths. 
If only viewers would recognize the photos of your children and make that important call!
National Center For Missing Exploited Children
1-800-THE-LOST