Obsessively checking for updates on child hostage

[madringal]

I can't stop checking for updates.  That poor little boy is the same age as my daughter and I can't even imagine how those parents feel right now.  And how that poor baby is probably scared to death.  I just keep imagining how terrified my daughter would be, and I honestly think she would cry herself into cardiac arrest or something. 

Anyone else following the story?

[CallingAllAngels]

I am following. I also have a 5-year-old. I read that the parents are "holding on by a thread." That sounds about right to me. I cannot even imagine.

[takeonyou]

How did I miss this? So awful.

[lime]

I'm following it, too. What a terrible story.

[definitelyO]

I keep trying to figure out WHY he took that kid. is there any relationship there? huge thanks to the busdriver who was killed while trying to stop him from taking 2 kids. S/he saved one of them and hopefully the other will be released physically unharmed. The child also has autism.

[crazytalk]

I am so sad and horrified by this story. I can't even imagne what that poor kid is going through. And he's on the autism spectrum? That poor, poor boy. I don't even want to think about how his parents are feeling.

I'm trying to figure out why that boy too. It sounded from the articles that I've read, that the crazy guy specifically wanted *that* boy. Did I read that right?

[madringal]

I am reading the opposite. That there was no connection. He originally wanted two kids, but the other got away. This boy apparently fainted (!!!) and that's how he grabbed him.

[mbcdefg]

What a sad story I can't believe this has been going on for three days already. That poor kid and his family.

crazytalk, I was under the impression that it was completely random, and that he happened to grab that one kid because he fainted during the abduction and therefore couldn't get away. I don't think there's a connection ... the man is just completely off his rocker. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm also reading that the abductor has shot at his neighbors' car before, and beat their dog to death with a lead pipe. How the fuck is he not in jail after all that??? Never mind how he got access to a gun.

[dr.girlfriend]

I have been avoiding reading, but I finally read a story today. So sad. In a perfect world there would be some totally safe, non dose-dependent gas anesthetic they could pump in there and knock them both out so they can rescue the kid without violence. I read that he just asked for "a kid," and there is no connection between them.

[Deleted]

I can not even imagine. I am so terrified for that child.

[phunluvin82]

Let me get this straight...he fired at a truck while his neighbor and the neighbor's 6 month old daughter were in it. And he was due to be in court...for a misdemeanor 'menacing' charge over it?!?!

WTMF...how about remanded on an attempted murder charge?!? So he missed, maybe on purpose, maybe not...but how do you get a slap on the wrist, 'you're gonna have to come to court for a misdemeanor...go ahead and hold onto your guns in the meantime'...for shooting at people?

I'm infuriated that this guy was still chillin at home with his deadly weapons. What did they think was going to happen the next time something set him off?!?!

[crazytalk]

Jan 31, 2013 16:06:13 GMT -5 phunluvin82 said:

Let me get this straight...he fired at a truck while his neighbor and the neighbor's 6 month old daughter were in it. And he was due to be in court...for a misdemeanor 'menacing' charge over it?!?!

WTMF...how about remanded on an attempted murder charge?!? So he missed, maybe on purpose, maybe not...but how do you get a slap on the wrist, 'you're gonna have to come to court for a misdemeanor...go ahead and hold onto your guns in the meantime' for shooting at people?

I'm infuriated that this guy was still chillin at home with his deadly weapons. What did they think was going to happen the next time something set him off?!?!

yes, that's about right. And he had previously beaten a neighbor's dog to death with a pipe, because, "anybody comes on my property and I kill 'em" or some such shit.

@dr.girlfriend - yeah, I'm amazed that they don't have anything like that they can use. But I guess the fear is that he realizes what's happening and goes ahead and kills the boy before he passes out himself? That, and of course, he's probably 5x the weight of the little boy, so it wouldn't affect them the same.

I'm just shocked and scared, I can't even process it.

[auntie]

This story hits too damned close to me.

This boy has the same dx combination my own son has- Aspergers and ADHD. My own didn't have a dx at 5, but he was an impulsive, intense and at times challenging kid to live with.

That this child lives in an area not known for it's behavioral health availability and that he already has both conditions dx'd (most kids don't get an ADHD dx until 6 and Aspergers is more often identified closer to 7 or 8) and is symptomatic enough to require medication (many kids with AS don't need medication especially prior to about age 7 unless they have aggressive or non-stop tantrums, off the charts anxiety) is worrisome. I would imagine his presentation would be at least as difficult as my son's at that age. The kind of behavior combined with an irritable nutjob and you have a situation that could go very badly.

As for the why him question. If I had to hazard a guess, this young boy was likely seated at the front of the bus. Many kids with AS and ADHD attract negative attention from peers on the bus; others behave in ways that would be dangerous on a moving bus. So it's pretty common to include preferential assigned seating behind the driver in the child's IEP for the child's protection. This would have made him an easy mark even if he hadn't frozen or fainted as is being reported.

[sweetnsour]

I really hope and pray the little boy makes it out of this situation unharmed. I hope the man gets shot to death.