Missing Child Issue

The search for a missing Arkansas boy has shifted from searching the local woods and lake towards an abduction scenario. Since it couldn’t be proven that the child was taken, an Amber Alert was not immediately issued. Authorities in the area spent days searching the immediate woods and lake area where the child went missing and after turning up no leads, now believe the child may have been taken from his home.

If Dominick was taken by a stranger, his odds of returning home safely are slim, according to national studies on youth kidnappings. Forty percent of children abducted in "stereotypical kidnappings" are killed, and 4 percent are never found, according to a U.S. Department of Justice report from 2002. Stereotypical kidnappings involve a stranger or slight acquaintance who takes a child with the intent of keeping him, holding him for ransom or killing him.

Time is of the essence in such cases. Among abducted children who are ultimately murdered, 74 percent are dead within three hours of going missing, according to an oft-referenced report from 1997 by the Washington state attorney general.

"When it comes to abductions, to be honest, the first couple of days are absolutely critical," Browne said. "The timeline for recovering kids, it’s a sad kind of timeline."