GUILTY TX - Alanna Gallagher, 6, Saginaw, 1 July 2013 - #3
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What percentage of crimes against children where a family member is not involved do you think occur with the child being snatched from this bed and harmed? Compared to when that child is out of the house without adult supervision?
I wouldn't say keeping a close eye on a barely 6 year old child when they are playing out and going into other people's homes is over cautious IMO. If you know exactly who's home your child is in and you trust those people then that's different (in my mind anyway). Saying that, child abuse is often carried out by adults trusted by the parents.
I'm not blaming the parents for their daughters death at all, but I won't pretend I think their parenting was vigilant enough either (based on what I've read in MSM, it could turn out thier parenting was very different from the impression I've gathered from media reports). I'm not bashing them, no one deserves to loose a child, let alone in such terrible circumstances.
Police begin their investigation with those closest to a child and those who say them last. So if a child goes missing and they told their parents at 6pm they were going to X's house the police know where to start. Did they arrive at X's house, how long did they stay for, what route were they likely to take home and what time did they leave. Any information would help the police to locate the child quickly or identify POI. Perhaps the police do actually have that information and just aren't telling us. It is very hard to judge anything in this case as so little information has been given out.
I just hope they find the perp asap.
BunnyHop
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There's a big difference between 12 and 6 years old, especially if he has a phone and you are aware, watching and waiting for him to return.
eileenhawkeye
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In this case, the parents went how many hours without even checking on their 6-year-old daughter?
IHAVENOCLUE
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We really do not have that information...
One article reported she was "coming in and out of the house" during that day...
JMO
floridamomma
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absolutely! i totally agree...i dont defend parents that allow so much freedom but im just thinking, are my ideas of age appropriate freedoms the same as yours? (yours in general, not you personally)...
i have a hard time with tweens and teens, they see themselves as adults, i still see the baby...
BunnyHop
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My son is 32. I still worry.
When he was 4,5,6,7,8,9 etc. he was not allowed to be unattended. While I worked, Granny watched him. Like a hawk. He was allowed to play on the sidewalk, in front of the house while Granny sat on the porch. We knew our neighbors very well for many years. We also knew all the kids in immediate neighborhood.
When he got to middle school, he was allowed to friends after I drove him with other parents permission. A couple of kids close by, he was allowed, with phone numbers and home by a certain time. If he was late, phone calls were made. :twocents:
I'm not judging anyone, just sharing my personal experience.
Flutterby80
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Listen, I don't allow my son to run the roads either but what are we accomplishing by comparing our parenting to Alanna's parents' and then judging them? This is really upsetting to me. Unless I missed something, nobody official has accused her parents of anything illegal or even negligent. If Alanna was in and out of the house all day, that doesn't mean her family didn't see her for hours on end. They just might not have looked at the clock each time she came in. She probably popped in for a popsicle, then to use the bathroom, maybe again to show mom a flower she picked...this is how I was raised, in and out all day through the summer. Her parents are, I am sure, in shock and probably medicated right now. I would not be surprised if they can't recall what the clock said the last time Alanna popped in the house. I doubt Id even remember my own name at this point!
People will always scrutinise the death of a child, no matter how it happends. It's very sad but it is true, I know from experience from my brothers death. As a parent or sibling you will always blame yourself and think of the tiny changes you could have made to have changed what happened. There is always something more a parent could have done, perhaps but it is just not reasonable. Being a parent I suppose is about minimising the risk of harm coming to your child, but you can never stop them being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's a sad fact of life and something that is hard to think of when I look at my own son!
If your child rides a scooter or a bike you get them a helmet, make sure they don't listen to music at the same time and know about road safety, if they go to the shops get them to tell you where they are going and about how long they will be. Get them to tell you before going into people's homes so you know where they are and who they'll be with. That sort of thing I guess, but each parent will choose what is the most important based on the risks they anticipate.
I really hope the family get the understanding and support they need. People have indicated it's quite normal for kids to play out like this in Alanna's neighbourhood so I hope they understand and support the parents.
I don't think you can talk about a child's abduction and not talk about the way he/she came to be abducted though or talk about her family life. It's not about blaming her family but understanding the circumstances surrounding her death and I hope the family will understand that.
Sorry for the long post. MOO and all those things.
What we do know is that father called 911 to report her missing shortly before 9:30 pm. Time of death was ruled 7:33 pm.
"Her father reported her missing shortly before 9:30 p.m. The body had been found about two hours earlier about a mile from her home."
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/07/03/4980912/911-call-i-think-its-a-little.html#storylink=cpy
Stopping this type of chat would be good IMO. I think that sort of thing is being discussed just because there is so little concrete information to discuss on the case, other than guess work. We all had our views on the way we raise our own children and the type of supervision that is appropriate but maybe we can just discuss what happened to Alanna rather than our views on her family situation.
I hope we will be given more information soon! I really hope the lack of information given out is because they have someone in sight that they don't want to know they are moving in to question.
We live on a cul-de-sac by accident, NOT! When looking for a home, and having two children, that was the main focus of a home to choose. Many nice homes were passed over due to cars driving fast etc.
Since there is no through traffic, there is almost no traffic, literally only seven homes on street, both sides combined. Wanting the kids to be able to go into the front yard was important, have one son going on 9 and another 4. Both are still supervised in the front yard and given a short radius that they can go not out of eyesight. Like another poster posted yesterday, they are given free rein in the fenced in back yard and we do keep an eye on them.
My kids are not over protected and do know how to LIVE, but at the same time, you bet I am going to make sure they know how to swim and not dive in head first into shallow water. Onto trampolines, kids have always had one and never had an injury, I still jump with them. We have no enclosure as I believe it gives them a false sense of security.
5 just turning six is way too young to be given the freedom to be going in and out. Sometimes restrictions are necessary, a little common sense can go along way in preventing one from becoming a victim. All this from a guy who thought it was fun dodging bullets, oh how things change when you grow up.
Since there is no through traffic, there is almost no traffic, literally only seven homes on street, both sides combined. Wanting the kids to be able to go into the front yard was important, have one son going on 9 and another 4. Both are still supervised in the front yard and given a short radius that they can go not out of eyesight. Like another poster posted yesterday, they are given free rein in the fenced in back yard and we do keep an eye on them.
My kids are not over protected and do know how to LIVE, but at the same time, you bet I am going to make sure they know how to swim and not dive in head first into shallow water. Onto trampolines, kids have always had one and never had an injury, I still jump with them. We have no enclosure as I believe it gives them a false sense of security.
5 just turning six is way too young to be given the freedom to be going in and out. Sometimes restrictions are necessary, a little common sense can go along way in preventing one from becoming a victim. All this from a guy who thought it was fun dodging bullets, oh how things change when you grow up.
Many parents teach their young children about stranger danger.
However, not many teach their young children about the dangers from adults known to the child: adult neighbors, family relatives, adult family friends, the child's friends' family members, teachers, clergy, etc.
Rather, many young children are taught to obey these adults without question.
The anecdote about Alanna in the tree and her neighbor coming to her assistance (a definite stranger to Alanna) illustrates that Alanna was familiar with stranger danger...guessing not so much of the dangers with adults she was familiar with.
MOO: perp is someone in immediate neighborhood whom she trusted and had some familiarity with.
However, not many teach their young children about the dangers from adults known to the child: adult neighbors, family relatives, adult family friends, the child's friends' family members, teachers, clergy, etc.
Rather, many young children are taught to obey these adults without question.
The anecdote about Alanna in the tree and her neighbor coming to her assistance (a definite stranger to Alanna) illustrates that Alanna was familiar with stranger danger...guessing not so much of the dangers with adults she was familiar with.
MOO: perp is someone in immediate neighborhood whom she trusted and had some familiarity with.
mck16
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Are there any known SO's in the immediate area? I think I read early on there was one that lived at the end of the street. But, I don't know if that was confirmed. ty
It doesn't have to be someone she knew or trusted. An adult or a teenager can easily overpower a six year old child.
She was running around un-attended (based on what neighbors say), somebody could have easily snatched her.
My thoughts exactly. That story really stuck out for me, she sounded very cautions and perhaps that caution is why her parents felt safe letting her wander. They may have known the houses she would go to and were familiar with the people in those homes, but she knew not to go into anyone elses home.
raeann
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Just to add to your "what we do know" reminder....I believe that the report was that the family NEVER actually called 911. It was stated that numerous police cars were scouting the neighborhood after the body was found, and that eventually, the father flagged one LE car down as it passed and told them he was looking for this child.
jmo
I don't know. But may be an offender in immediate neighborhood who was as yet unknown to local LE (and neighbors), or who has never been identified as being an offender.
pferrin
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Judging parenting skills..our parents parenting skills, our own parenting skills and others parenting skills is actually important in helping us to be better parents.
Assessing possible dangers of any and all things around a child is important because their minds are not developed enough to make clear decisions.
I am certain that the first parent that left a loaded gun exposed to a child never thought the child would use that gun.. Many many learned from their mistakes. It is vital that we learn from others mistakes because we want all children to safely make it to adulthood.
Our society plays by different rules and dangers than when we were growing up. If this child was in the back yard with a German shepherd guard dog that would protect her from dangerous folks then I would have a difficult time understanding how this situation happened to her. But she was not.
If she had been looked for at 5 or 530, Basically supper time would we still be even know about her. Give me the helicopter parents any and everyday because I would feel more loved.
It is important that we learn from each case IMO
Assessing possible dangers of any and all things around a child is important because their minds are not developed enough to make clear decisions.
I am certain that the first parent that left a loaded gun exposed to a child never thought the child would use that gun.. Many many learned from their mistakes. It is vital that we learn from others mistakes because we want all children to safely make it to adulthood.
Our society plays by different rules and dangers than when we were growing up. If this child was in the back yard with a German shepherd guard dog that would protect her from dangerous folks then I would have a difficult time understanding how this situation happened to her. But she was not.
If she had been looked for at 5 or 530, Basically supper time would we still be even know about her. Give me the helicopter parents any and everyday because I would feel more loved.
It is important that we learn from each case IMO
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