A 16-year-old girl from Traverse City who was kidnapped from an out of state man is back home, but police are warning parents about the dangers children can face on social media.
The National Crime Info Center said that more than 30,000 children are currently missing that are under the age of 18.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said social media brings in a new way that perpetrators could be reaching your kids. Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, allowing us to easily share and communicate what we are doing. But with the new dangers of social media, there are ways to protect yourself.
Peter Ellis, the Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Western and Northern parts of the FBI in Michigan, said that if you are out and about it’s best to delay posting where you are until you leave the area, as doing this can help protect yourself from becoming a victim.
“Don’t talk on there and let people know where you hang out all the time. That’s another big thing because people are, you know, this is another avenue, another vector that people get into to try to identify potential targets to, you know, take or to target,” said Ellis.
Social media is far from being flawless. In the case of the 16-year-old Traverse City Girl that went missing on Friday, she was tricked by a 21-year-old man who posed as a 17-year-old boy on social media.
“Most of the time these do not turn out well. You know, obviously a 16-year-old and a 21-year-old that was leading her on to believe that he was only 17 years old,” said Captain Keith Gillis from Traverse City Police Department.
That man told the young victim that he was going to pick her up from school and drive her home, but he drove across two state borders and more than 300 miles away from that girl’s home.
“She got into the car after school because she already met him a couple of times, not thinking anything of it. But his intentions were in my opinion. He had this intention for long,” said Captain Gillis.
Thanks to multiple law enforcement agencies between Northern Michigan and Illinois, they were able to track where that girl was, and she returned home safely. But that is not the case for everyone.
Michigan State Police Trooper Alexander Bendickson said that perpetrators may not always try to harm or take the victim right away.
“They might not make any indication that they want to do anything like that. But you really don’t know what they’re thinking or what their intentions are,” said trooper Bendickson.
The FBI said a good way to protect your family is by talking to your kids.
“It’s a hard conversation, but you gotta have that conversation to talk about that. You’ve got to know all their friends. We got to know who they are and you should have the conversation if they have that social media device,” said Ellis.
Troopers say it’s better to have that conversation with your kids sooner than later.
“it’s more important that your child is safe than if you try to be relaxed, because if you’re relaxed and then something does happen that could have been prevented, you’re going to regret it,” said trooper Bendickson.
Although this case wasn’t a sextortion case, the FBI warns that sextortion is becoming much more prominent.
“We’ve seen a very large increase in sextortion over the last three years, especially since the crime data we have since 2021. Since October 2021 to 2023, we’ve seen a significant increase where we have over 8,500 individuals that have been extorted,” said Ellis.
Officials from the FBI and MSP want to remind kids that you are the victim in cases of sextortion and falling prey to strangers online. They also say that you should never be afraid to talk to mom and dad if something happens where you do fall victim. If you do not feel comfortable talking to your parents, they recommend talking to other family members, and they want to remind kids that you can always call them with tips or let them know that you were or are a victim.
Below, you will find a current list of missing persons information from the National Crime Information Center, and you can also view it by clicking on this link.
You can find the list of kidnappings and missing people here.
You can find a link to the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program here.
