Statement on FBI’s Assistance in Westminster Police Department Investigation

The FBI Denver Division and FBI resources from around the country continue to support the Westminster Police Department in their current investigation with personnel, an evidence response team, a specialized dog search group, members of the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) Team, and our Behavioral Analysis Unit.

Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) Team

The FBI’s CARD Team consists of regionally based special agents selected for their specialized experience and training in child abduction investigations. This is a national resource that deploys to provide case specific support to FBI Field Offices and local law enforcement.

Behavioral Analysis Unit 3 (Crimes Against Children):

The mission of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) is to provide behaviorally based operational support for complex and time-sensitive cases. Resources are focused on crimes perpetrated against child victims, including abductions, mysterious disappearances of children, homicides, and sexual victimization.

The FBI BAU recommendations are as follows:

Often, someone in the community will unknowingly be associated with the offender of the crime and may be in a position to observe behavioral changes in that person. They will recognize the changes and may even question the person about it but may not relate the changes to that person’s involvement in the crime.

Immediately following the incident, he may miss work. The absence will be sudden and unplanned. He may either be a “no show” or he may offer a plausible excuse such as illness, death in the family, car trouble, etc.

He may miss scheduled appointments/commitments and be unaccounted for during this period. These appointments/commitments may include such things as medical appointments, meetings with a probation officer, prior commitment to a friend or family member, drug test, etc.

He may suddenly leave town, either with no explanation or with some plausible reason.

This individual may express an intense interest in the status of this investigation and pay close attention to the media. However, some offenders may quickly turn off media accounts or try to redirect conversations concerning the victims or their families.

There may be changes in the usual consumption of alcohol and/or drugs.

He may make a change in his appearance or alter something to prevent identification, such as changing the look of his vehicle, clean, or discard his vehicle.

Federal Kidnapping Act

Following the Lindbergh kidnapping, the United States Congress adopted a federal kidnapping statute—commonly known as the Lindbergh Law 18 U.S.C. § 1201—which was intended to let federal authorities pursue kidnappers.