NY Child walked around neighborhood handcuffed & blindfolded, then brutalized (2016)

[sharpobjects]

I'm not sure if this belongs here but I really want to talk about it and I don't know where to. This poster has bothered me ever since I found it because not only is it horrific to think about, but it happened very close to me.

I know I shouldn't give the specifics of where I live, so I will say that I am in Brooklyn, NY. On 09/01/16, I was walking on the block adjacent to mine and found a poster inquiring for information on a child crime that had occurred a month prior. I'll attach a photo but it reads as this:


Child Crime Victim, Seeking Witness
$500 Reward for information leading to arrest of perpetrator

In THIS neighborhood: On the morning of Tuesday, August 2nd at about 11 AM

Did you see my child??? My child was blindfolded and handcuffed and forced to walk around this neighborhood. My child was taken to a nearby location and brutally victimized.

Please Call or Text: ###-###-####
Email: [email protected]

There was a number, but I suspect it belongs to the parent and it didn't feel right to post. I've searched for information on this online (local news, any public police reports, facebook) but I turned up nothing then and now. It also happened two years ago, so I imagine it would be even harder to find information about it at this point.

If I had to speculate about the lack of sources, I would assume that :

• No arrest was made so there is either no public police record of the incident or the parent didn't go to the police at all.
• The only evidence may be the brutalization of the child and their account, but the location of the incident is somewhat known.
• I assumed the parent was doing this independently, on account of the number and email, as well as the small reward and the lack of information/description of the child's appearance.
• The poster may not actually be legitimate, though I can't imagine anyone going through this effort for some ploy

This is for nothing other than my curiosity about other people's opinions. I know it happened a while ago, and it's very local and low key crime, but I've never had closure on this and it hasn't left my mind since I found it. It's also fair to assume it was committed by a local ("nearby location"), and I do have sex offenders living in my area (may have been sexual assault). I have had an urge to email the listed address, but it feels callous and invasive to inquire just to make myself feel better. It was likely a very traumatizing incident for the family.

If anyone has any recommendations about where else I could look for information, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ttcRider]

that is strange... I took a quick look and couldnt find anything either. Not sure what to say.

 

[sharpobjects]

that is strange... I took a quick look and couldnt find anything either. Not sure what to say.

I agree, it is very strange. I was hoping somebody would have talked about the poster on social media asking their friends about it, but nothing. Then again, I'm also not really surprised it's so anonymous.

 

[glamourkitty1922]

There is nothing about the age or sex of the child, and no description of the attackers even though the child should have seen them before they blindfolded and handcuffed the child. I would think someone on the street would have noticed that there was a child walking like that. It's so strange. The poster is also on this blog asking for help. KARMABrooklyn Blog: WERE YOU A WITNESS TO THE CRIME AGAINST THIS CHILD? PLEASE RESPOND.

 

[sharpobjects]

There is nothing about the age or sex of the child, and no description of the attackers even though the child should have seen them before they blindfolded and handcuffed the child. I would think someone on the street would have noticed that there was a child walking like that. It's so strange. The poster is also on this blog asking for help. KARMABrooklyn Blog: WERE YOU A WITNESS TO THE CRIME AGAINST THIS CHILD? PLEASE RESPOND.

Yeah, that's true. This was also during summer vacation. While I don't know exactly where this happened, my area definitely isn't desolate around this time. You will sometimes see kids out playing with each other, or other folks just walking around. In the right circumstances though, I suppose it's not unimaginable to think somebody might go by unnoticed. I don't want to say it's suspicious, but it's very strange.

And thanks for the blog post, that's very interesting. It must be a local. I wonder if the posters were posted out farther than I thought though...

 

[wendybtn]

I say I am very glad you didn't call that number. It sounds like a set-up for some other crime. Who is likely to respond to this kind of message? Females. Be very careful. (Plus if this had actually happened, we would have heard something.)

 

[Laughing]

Consider taking the image into the prosecutor's office or Child Protective Services.

You won't receive much information, but either agency may be able to let you know that something is being done.

Or, check things out from your information?

 

[sharpobjects]

I say I am very glad you didn't call that number. It sounds like a set-up for some other crime. Who is likely to respond to this kind of message? Females. Be very careful. (Plus if this had actually happened, we would have heard something.)

That's an interesting thought. I considered that it might be a scheme, but I didn't to that extent. But then again, if it were me, I wouldn't really expect that many women to call if they didn't see anything. There could also be a number of reasons why there it wasn't in the news, as I wrote above. In any case, it's still interesting to think about.

 

[sharpobjects]

Consider taking the image into the prosecutor's office or Child Protective Services.

You won't receive much information, but either agency may be able to let you know that something is being done.

Or, check things out from your information?

Thank you for the advice, I might try that if I don't find anything else. I've already kind of reckoned with the fact that I probably won't find anything on this at all...

 

[wendybtn]

But women really like to help, especially if kids are involved. No not many would call, as likely this never happened. But all a predator needs is one.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

why not call the number (you can block yours) and explain your situation (that you've been concerned ever since you saw the poster) and are wondering what happened? You will either find out additional details (you'd think if they are asking for ppl to call, they'd be ready to supply other details) or find out that you have a bad feeling about it (scam) and put it out of your mind. Why not call? What am I missing?

IMO there are myriad possibilities for how this may have happened - one parent punishing a child (it happens), someone that one of the parents knew was taking revenge, a bullying situation, a story the kid told and the parent is trying to verify that it even happened... and at least 2 others that I typed but erased because they are so convoluted (but truth is often stranger than what we can imagine). Maybe it's a nonverbal child?

Why not just call?

ETA: or yes, take the poster into a LE agency and see what they know - have them call? Did you research the number?

ETA2: Wait. the email is address is way too screwy for this to be real. Come on... Had me going...