Just by reading the local paper, there are often events/ functions which local groups are apart celebrations, farewells and retirement recorded in it, even online, about a month before hand.
Eg I found a local clipping of the Local comminuty Newspaper from the 1981 among my Father belongings, he lived three hours away from his family. Dated April 1981 Mrs Shadow@light (his Mum,my Grandmother) hosted a lunch on Saturday, next month at local Bowling Club who been a proud Member and former President of the local Bowls and Darts a farewell lunch as Mrs Shadow@light and Co are embarking on a Caravan trip around Australia to last two years or more they look forward to seeing family in Western Australia at Christmas this year."
k-mac, IMO, people can plan if given enough time. My experience has been in mid 1981,the foster family turned abusive on me, mail and postcards from family were withheld, over period of time until mid 1982(I was removed) the abuse progressed worse(eg by earlier 1982, their teenage son held a knife at my neck many times saying" I can kill you, Mum would believe me I did it in self defence Mum would tell the Welfare you had run away, no one would find your body etc" Horrible thing was my family turned up at time arrange, the foster Family knew arrangement been made for family to see me, my Grandparant/family and Co arrived at the foster family home to find it empty , we moved two days earlier.
Even Australia and Oversea Film Industry, have had problems, as the local paper mentioned such and such film or TV Productions are being filmed in our town next month etc prevention have been done, You get people trying to get in background,this happened on a produstion I was in just before COVID stuck. The worst incident, I witnessed was in the filming of Ghost Rider, the Fair Scene which was filmed outside rural town. Within two days there was two assualts on children, I helped the girl would had been grabbed in one of the fun tent or the mock up enterance to the Tunnel Of Love Enterance and Exit, in the semi dark she managed to get away, reported straight to the production crew, few more couple ladies Extra walked around the young tweens and kids talked to them found out there had been more assualts. Production crew launched a background check found out there was 10 Convicted Sexual Offenders they were removed from production. Even over two weeks filming Crew had to check fair ground scene as people were hiding in them to apart of the Extras(all got the information from local paper on line months earlier saying the film Ghost Rider was being filmed, some traveled instate chance to see the stars or worse) Production Crew tighten secruity which was good, mainly around the tweens and kids but things still happened as we were filming throughout night it was easy for someone to slip in the big crowd scene so people were on their guard, even us ladies had to walk in groups I was told later in the group I was not in, situation really got bad, lot of extras and people were removed.
IMO what happened to Wiliam and other missing children it only takes 10 seconds.
www.abc.net.au
