title: False allegation of child abduction.
abstract: Cases in which a child has been falsely reported as missing or abducted can be extremely challenging to the law enforcement agencies responsible for their investigation. In the absence of a witnessed abduction or an obvious crime scene, it is difficult to determine whether a child has actually been abducted or has become a victim of a homicide and a false allegation. The purpose of this study was to examine falsely alleged kidnapping cases and identify successful investigative strategies. Sixty-one adjudicated false allegation cases involving 66 victims were analyzed. The mean age of the victim was 5 years. Victims came from generally unstable, high-risk family situations and were killed primarily by biological parents. Victims were killed because they were unwanted or viewed as an obstacle to a desired goal, or they were victims of abuse or maltreatment that ended in fatality.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime, FBI Academy, CIRG-NCAVC, Quantico, VA 22135, USA.
authors.forename: Kathleen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Canning
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hilts
authors.forename: Yvonne E
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Muirhead
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000401:mortality; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008192:Deception; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005190:Family; D054541:Family Conflict; D005260:Female; D044707:Forensic Sciences; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D035846:Law Enforcement; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D014478:Unemployment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000401:mortality