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We do some pretty cool stuff to bring children home! When the FBI learns that a child is missing and believed to have been abducted, Special Agents work with the police to learn more about the child abducted, uncover the facts surrounding the abduction, find the child, and identify the abductor. Yeah, the FBI can sometimes use multiple resources to figure out what type of person or even exactly who committed the crime. Read on...

1. The FBI talks to all of the child's neighbors so that they can get as much information as possible. They might ask the neighbors:
   • if they have seen the child lately,
   • if they have any idea where he or she may have gone,
   • if they have seen anybody with the child,
   • if they have seen anybody acting weird, or
   • if they saw anything happen.
     
     
2. The FBI and police will talk to the child's family and friends to find out what the kid is like; what he/she likes to do; and where he/she likes to go. Learning habits gives the FBI and police clues about where the child might have gone. Once they eliminate all other possibilities, the police and the FBI may decide that the child's been abducted.
   
   
3. Once it is decided that a child has been abducted, the FBI's Evidence Response Team personnel may be assigned to conduct a forensic investigation of the abduction site. This means they collect things from the spot they think the child was taken from. These things are then examined in a lab and they often tell a lot about what happened when the child was taken.
   
   
4. The word is then spread to the community so that anyone with information about the crime can call in and help in the investigation. An FBI Rapid Start Team, a large computer operation system, is used to organize and follow the tips that come in about the missing child.
   
   
5. FBI Special Agents and police work with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and other agencies to gather all available resources. The more people helping, the better the chances are of finding the child.
   
   
6. We also have an FBI unit that examines the nature of the crime and organizes the FBI's technical and scientific resources. This unit uses all their know-how to figure out where the child might be and who might have taken him or her.

There's no need to live in constant fear of being abducted. Many crimes against children can be stopped. It is important for you to communicate with the right people. Talk to your parents, any grownup-in-charge, or a teacher if anything seems strange or confusing to you. If something makes you uncomfortable, talk to someone about it, even if it seems small!

You can always ask for help. It is never too late! Keep asking until you get the help you need. Many people care about you and will listen to you and believe you. You are not alone!