Using Technology to Find Missing Children? 30
GregAllen asks: "We live in a world where technology provides us global communication and instant gratification. The internet has made the world a much smaller place, and news travels at the speed of electrons.
However, it's still pretty easy to hide. There is an epidemic in the U.S. -- the government estimates that there are 350,000 family kidnapping per year. You never think it will happen to you, but it did happen to me -- my ex-wife kidnapped our daughter and has been missing for almost 6 months. She's wanted by the FBI, but she hasn't been found. See the Find Sabrina website -- there's a $10K reward. When you are confronted with this situation, the world is an overwhelmingly large place. How would the alpha geeks at Slashdot use technology to locate someone that doesn't want to be found?" While putting up a website to assist in the search helps, are there other digital methods one can employ to assist in the search?
As a general rule: (Score:2)
Fortunatly or unfortunalty, depending on your viewpoit at the time, Law enforcemnt people can't force someone to rat on their family felon.
But It could give you a head start if you're good at 'persuading' people.
Not high tech but it works.
350,000? (Score:3, Insightful)
Not only that... (Score:2)
It's all about how you spin a story these days...
- A.P.
Email accounts (Score:3, Insightful)
OK, It's not legal, its not moral, but its a way. My friend (a real one - not an urban legend), cracked his girlfriends email account (which I moaned at him for a while). Found out she was sleeping with someone else, or at least telling her friends she was.
It might be a good first step.
Your best bet is social engineering (Score:5, Insightful)
2.) Lie. This is unfortunate, but necessary. She's lying about you. Lie to that relative about her, and the dangers she presents to your child. Fabricate proof.
3.) Tell the relative that you aren't interested in going to the authorities or even taking your daughter away from her mother. Give messages to the relative to pass on to your daughter, "just in case you hear from her mother."
4.) Wait. Eventually there will be contact. Don't try to take your daughter back yourself, but don't fully trust the police either. Before contacting the authorities, personally make sure that you have direct exact knowledge of your daughter's position so that the mother can't get away in case the police bumble.
I am only suggesting something this extreme because you say that your daughter is in real danger.
Anyone thinking about replying with 5.)??? 6.) Profit to this post needs serious mental help.
Amber Plan (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Amber Plan (Score:1)
Re:Amber Plan (Score:1)
Re:Amber Plan (Score:2)
Thinking about it since my first child... (Score:3, Insightful)
Therefore the best defense is a very deep knowledge of your family, friends, associates, etc, that your child is liable to be alone with for any length of time. As the child grows up it is imperative to teach safety. Not just the usual "Don't talk to strangers." but how to call for help in various situations. Memorize the phone number, address, etc. It's a thin line, though, you don't want to scare the kid.
Prevention, however, doesn't help you now. If you have no idea where they might be, then you have to spend your time targetting the entire world, which is probably out of your reach. If you can even narrow it down to a state then you have a much better chance. But the reality is that a person can make money, rent a place, and go to the store infrequently without ever using any technology that is traceable. SS numbers can be faked (are sometimes never checked since there is a fee involved for the employer and small town bank), checks can be cashed and drawn on small-time banks.
As has been said here again and again, it is extrememly unlikely that your ex broke all ties with everyone they ever knew that you know about.
I wish you the best of luck. Things will turn out ok.
-Adam
Don't forget the low tech (Score:2)
Technical solutions may be nice, but most of what you need is the low tech solutions that have been around for (hundreds?) years.
At least one kid has found her picture on the milk carton over her breakfast, and notified athorities. Wait until your kid can read, and then get her picture on a milk carton where she or her friends can find it. Except for very young kids, it is hard to convince a kid that a name change is needed.
A Technical Solution ... (Score:1)
I worked on this system, until I was laid off
Seriously, I am not sure how much I can tell you about it, but I will say that those who have "Big Brother" concerns would go absolutely apeshit over it
Good Luck
Re:A Technical Solution ... (Score:1)
Re:A Technical Solution ... (Score:1)
My sympathies to you, sir.
Child Find Canada (Score:2)
And then of course there are the Kiddie GPS [wired.com] solutions.
Technology that can help, even at this stage (Score:2)
As others have mentioned, she's certain to be in contact with somebody. You probably know who. Bugs have been around for a long time, in many forms. Yes it's illegal, and invades their privacy, but *insert profanity here* them. There're pinhole cameras, microphones, phone taps... the list goes on. I'd think the ideal would be to install a laptop in their attic with 802.11, to monitor your inputs. You can then easily access your recorded data, reset, reconfigure, without regaining access to the building. Yes, getting your stuff in there in the first place is difficult and dangerous... and illegal. Use a cheap laptop, vampire it into an electrical circuit, use WEP, don't leave anything personally identifiable with it. Depending on the structure, you might be able to simply tap the phone from the outside, which would simplify things.
If you are certain... REALLY certain, that someone actually has direct, specific information, that will lead you directly to your child, without possibility of failure, you might consider using older technology to force that person to give you that information. Violence should be considered only if you are certain both that it will succeed, and that you will get away with it. You're no good to your child if you're in prison. I have no sympathy for your victim, because he is endangering your child by aiding and abbetting your ex's crime, and remember, at any point, he can avoid all discomfort and most inconvenience by providing you with the information you request.
One word of warning. If you suspect your own sanity in any way, then don't trust your judgement on what someone knows or whether you can get away with extracting that information, OR even on whether you are in the right and your ex is in the wrong.
Obligatory relevant quote from a sci-fi show [andromedatv.com]:
"The soul of the Nietzschean is this:
We are arrogant.
We are vain.
We are manipulative.
We are selfish.
And we love our children."
Drago Museveni, "Primary Reflections"
CY 8428
Ok... (Score:2)
Basically, what you are wanting to track is the ripples the use of these numbers generate in databases throughout the system. Assuming your child is of age, and still in your state, and is not being home schooled, look into school registrations for the state/local level. Perhaps also look into insurance coverages (more difficult), credit card use/signups, etc. Another possibility you might look into is a reverse catch, in a way - in other words, using her social, get a copy of birth records, then look into getting a female accomplice to do an identity theft - maybe even in cooperation with a credit issuing agency or something. Start racking up the bills on the card, and get the credit reporting agencies involved - they will alert the ex to possible identity fraud, and contact the issuer of the false cards to hold them - then there has to be some way of getting the real person, thus the address or location of them, for the police, private investigator or whatnot.
The SSN is a big piece of leverage, and providing she is not hiding out at an old friend's house you don't know about in another state, and sponging off of them as well - it is a piece that will most likely let you narrow down the search and find your child.
Good luck, and I hope this helps in some manner.
Stop them from being lost in the first place (Score:1)