The Portuguese police and Madeleine McCann's eye defect.

[jassi]

At the bottom of the wiki article are all the reference sources, listed numerically.

[Carana]

At the bottom of the wiki article are all the reference sources, listed numerically.

Thanks, Jassi.

Are you referring to this article from the Wiki entry?

Cold War technology helped save lives of abducted teens

http://edition.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/05/ctv.alert/index.html

If so, I'm just as confused as to the kidnapped death statistics.

[G-Unit]

Thanks, Jassi.

Are you referring to this article from the Wiki entry?

Cold War technology helped save lives of abducted teens

http://edition.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/05/ctv.alert/index.html

If so, I'm just as confused as to the kidnapped death statistics.

Here you are;

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, of the children abducted by strangers, 75% are killed within the first three hours in the USA.[12]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMBER_Alert#Controversies

[Carana]

Here you are;

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, of the children abducted by strangers, 75% are killed within the first three hours in the USA.[12]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMBER_Alert#Controversies

Thanks. I can't find that phrase within the cite. Could it have been an old one quoted elsewhere?

[G-Unit]

Thanks. I can't find that phrase within the cite. Could it have been an old one quoted elsewhere?

No. It's in the Wiki article and in the link which comes up if you press 12.

[Carana]

No. It's in the Wiki article and in the link which comes up if you press 12.

Ah. This?


Retrieval rate

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, of the children abducted by strangers, 75% are killed within the first three hours in the USA.[12]

Which leads to this:

http://edition.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/05/ctv.alert/index.html

Which ststes:

 The goal of the plan is fairly simple: use basic broadcasting technology to beat the clock in abduction cases. Nearly three-quarters of children killed in cases of stranger abduction are murdered within the first three hours, according to U.S. Department of Justice statistics.



The Wiki entry appears to be incorrect, but often repeated (and every so often, it is pointed out that the media got it mangled):


Fast action is necessary since, 1) there is typically
over a two hour delay in making the initial missing
child report (60%), and 2) the vast majority (74%) of
the abducted children who are murdered are dead
within three hours of the abduction. Because of these
critical time features, it is important to respond quickly
with a neighborhood canvass and search of the area.

http://www.pollyklaas.org/media/pdf/Abduction-Homicide-Study.pdf

ETA: The above comes from the State of Washington, Office of the Attorney Generral, Case Management for Missing Children Homicide Investigation

US Department of Justice of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Date unclear.

Edited for clarification.

[Carana]

Somehow a finding in one study that 75% of abducted children who HAD been killed, were killed within 3 hours of their abduction

morphed into

75% of abducted children are killed within 3 hours.


A bit of a difference. Particularly if it's your child who's missing.

[ferryman]

Somehow a finding in one study that 75% of abducted children who HAD been killed, were killed within 3 hours of their abduction

morphed into

75% of abducted children are killed within 3 hours.


A bit of a difference. Particularly if it's your child who's missing.

A sharp (and important) distinction. 

[Carana]

A sharp (and important) distinction.

I think so as well.

At some point some hack misunderstood but it then became a factoid.

[Carana]

The same report also states in the next paragraph:

Over half (57%) of these child abduction murders are
committed by a killer who is a stranger to the victim.
Family involvement in this type of case is infrequent
(9%).

[G-Unit]

Good game this;

* 75% of kidnapped children are murdered within three hours of their abduction
http://www.lindenhurststrangerdanger.com/?page_id=2

[Alfred R Jones]

Good game this;

* 75% of kidnapped children are murdered within three hours of their abduction
http://www.lindenhurststrangerdanger.com/?page_id=2

according to that report over a million children are abducted by strangers each year in the US.  And if 75% of all abducted children are killed within 3 hours as you suggest then that also means over a million children are murdered each year in the US alone.  Surely shome mishtake?

[Carana]

Good game this;

* 75% of kidnapped children are murdered within three hours of their abduction
http://www.lindenhurststrangerdanger.com/?page_id=2

I don't find this to be a "game". 

What's the source, if it's different?

There have been several studies conducted in various countries. There is a thread on the most recent ones somewhere.

[mercury]

Statistics are a minefield of correct, rubbish, made up and questionable

Lets get back to the topic, The Mccanns believed that an abductor would NOT "poke her eye out" so embarked on the LOOK campaign...emphasising Madeleines coloboma, even if Kate Mccann told Piers Morgan thry never really made anythng of it.......that much is clear

[G-Unit]

Statistics are a minefield of correct, rubbish, made up and questionable

Lets get back to the topic, The Mccanns believed that an abductor would NOT "poke her eye out" so embarked on the LOOK campaign...emphasising Madeleines coloboma, even if Kate Mccann told Piers Morgan thry never really made anythng of it.......that much is clear

Agreed. If you look hard enough (no pun intended) you can find statistics to say whatever you want them to say. It's clear the family launched a huge marketing campaign using the eye defect as it's unique selling point. If by chance an abductor had 'poked her eye out' imagine the guilt! First she's abducted because they weren't there 'at that moment' then she's injured because of their campaign.