U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Estimating the Number of Stranger-Abduction Homicides of Children: A Review of Available Evidence

NCJ Number
152226
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 18 Dated: (1990) Pages: 385-399
Author(s)
G T Hotaling; D Finkelhor
Date Published
1990
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study used six existing data sources to estimate the number of stranger-abduction murders of children that occur each year in the U.S. The article also presents findings from an analysis concerning the number of abduction-murders of children that occurred between 1976 and 1984.
Abstract
Each of the six data sets -- Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and Illinois Department of Law Enforcement, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Police Records Study, Homicide in Dade County (Florida), National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse Reporting Data, California Supplemental Homicide Report Data, and the Comparative Homicide File for 1976-1984 -- is described in terms of its original focus and any modifications made to construct an estimate for this study. The estimates ranged from 46 to 318 abducted and murdered children each year; this study estimates the number to fall between 52 and 158. Findings are discussed in terms of trends; age, gender, and race of the child; and region. 4 tables, 7 notes, and 51 references