Did You See This Heartbreaking Story?

Two comments: I told my grandson that he is never gonna be allowed to go in the mens restroom...in fact...no where alone. And I hope this animal is not gonna be tried in America, because they are letting the child killers go free these days.

It was horrible!! Very shocking but sadly, humanity's cruelness isn't so shocking anymore - it should be, but it's so common place now that it is just simply depressing and upsetting.

Yes! I saw and read it. It made me sooo sad for that poor boy and his family but also made me sooo mad too!!! WHY would they let such a young boy walk by himself???? I would never ever let my child walk alone in such a big city like that. Because sickos like that is the reason.

Breaks my heart to read this kind of stuff and I seriously hope that other parents who are less strict about letting their kids do stuff alone, or about relenting to their kids learns a lesson!!

There is just too many people out there looking to hurt others, and its sad that it happens. Sad, horrible truth!

I am an overprotective parent and you know what? I am GLAD!

Yes, I saw it and it made me think of those moms on here that support "free range parenting". It was a safe, predominantly Hasidic neighborhood and he was only walking a few blocks yet he was murdered. I know I hear all about people living in cities who claim they walked to kindergarten by themselves but they could have ended up dead just like poor Leiby. Even if it happens to only 1 in 1,000 kids or even 1 in 1,000,000 kid who walk alone, tell that to his parents.

Of course this is a heartbreaking story. And a very, very, rare occurance. If it wasn't an extremely rare occurance, we wouldn't be talking about it. Can you name the children that were killed in car crashes in this country this week? No? That's because there were so many - hundreds! (40,000 to 50,000 people die in car crashes each year. Car crashes are the number one cause of childhood deaths in the US.) And we aren't banning our children from riding in cars?!?

This crime will NOT stop me from letting my 9 year-old daughter walk or bike ride alone. We can not teach our children to be afraid of being in the world. We CAN teach them not to get into cars with people they don't know. Teaching our kids to be self-reliant is keeping them safe.

And this IS the same world we grew up in. The crime rates are what they were back in the 1970s. Fewer children are dying now than ever before, from all causes.

I've heard of this story and it breaks my heart. He's the same age as my daughter who also has Autism.

The problem I have with this is the fact that children and indeed even adults with Autism are at high risk for dangerous situations. Many of them are "wanderers" and "bolters." It's a serious safety issue. It's easy for them to get disoriented and lost, and with their inability or difficulty reading social cues and people's intentions based on body language and facial expressions and tone of voice, children MUST have someone with them at all times. Higher functioning adults with Autism can learn to cope and live on their own, but many can't.

They are at a higher risk for dangerous accidents. They are at a higher risk for being molested and abused. They are at a higher risk for incidents such as this story.

In the event that my daughter is ever injured and I'm not there, even though her school and Girl Scouts have her records, she has a medical id bracelet. In the event that we're ever separated, she has the medical id bracelet. On that bracelet, it states that she has Autism, her medical issues, her medications, her name, my cell phone number, and my name. She NEVER takes the bracelet off. Some people with Autism wear their tags on their shoes or on a necklace.

Why do I do this? Because when pressed my daughter might state her first name but "forgets" our surname. Because she wouldn't be able to tell someone that she has Autism or any of her other medical issues except that she's lactose intolerant. She can't remember our street address nor my cell phone number nor our land line number nor my husband's cell phone number. She gets flustered when pressed to remember my name or my husband's name. It's very possible that this 8 year old Autistic boy couldn't tell anyone the information they needed to help him.

My heart breaks for these parents. And I hate to say it, but it's for this exact reason that I don't let my children play outside in our own yard without supervision. I don't let them walk down our own neighborhood without me seeing them. I understand giving kids some leeway, and wanting to test out the trust of what their son could handle, but children with special needs do have limitations and at this age it just wasn't the time for that test.

And that said, I don't blame the parents. The blame rests solely on the scum that committed such a disgusting act.

/steps off Autism soapbox

i saw this last night. my husband and i just sat there and shook our heads. as he said, "this world is much too dangerous, and the people have no value of a life, to let any child, be it small or teen, to walk alone." i don't even walk alone anywhere because of how people are. i used to walk a 3 mile route when i lived with my mom. i was in my 20's. i had people follow me, people try to pick me up, people stop me and say that there were people trying to pick up people. it's only getting worse. my kids may hate me as they get older, but i want to know that i did what i coudl to keep them safe.

i had my niece one day and dropped her back off at home. there were 2 boys about 10-11, who were walking and HITCH HIKING! i dropped off my niece and came back by. the boys were still doing this. so i stopped my car, asked where they were going. they were actually friends of my nieces cousin who lives next to her. so i let them get in and took them there. the whole way there and then the whole way taking them back home, i reamed them good. i told them they got very easiily into the car with me. i could be a pedophile, a murderer, etc. they needed to use their heads and think about what they were doing and what could happen to them.

teaching your children to be self-reliant is fine. but how can you teach a child to run from someone who is bigger and faster? how can you teach an 8 yr old to fight back? it's not possible. these cases aren't as rare as what they were. these things have been happening with more frequency. people don't understand that it's not only people who can hurt kids while they are out alone. there are dogs. there are cars that can hit them. there are snakes. the child can fall while riding a bike and break something. and NO ONE is there to help them. a child does NOT have the maturity to deal with a situation that is potentially harmful. and to say that they do is ridiculous.

There is no debate. Stupid chances reaps stupid outcomes in a stupid # of stats. My kids and grand kids won't be one of the stats so long as there is breath in me.

I cried when I first read this story a few days ago. Can you imagine...the first time you let your child walk alone and this happens? Its heartbreaking!

I am over-protective and I don't care what people think or say about it. My family makes it a point to tell me I am over-protective. But this is the very reason why. It's not the same world we grew up in.

Crime rates ARE higher now than in the 60's and 70's.
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

Kind of the reason why I never let them really walk anywhere alone until they were way old. I was very afraid of these things. My sister was with someone when she was little who was kidnapped. She had to go to court and identify the guy.The girl was found safe. Fastforward my sister is a police officer. My children thought I was very over protective and actually don't call back too much. I still think I did the right things. I hope they call a little more often.

Yes I did, it makes me sick and I think the little boy was too young to be walking on his own. Too many sickos out there, if you let your kids walk here and there it should be in groups ONLY.

My heart goes out to the family and the community who does no harm to anyone.

Blessings....

No I didn't read this. I don't let my kids walk anywhere at age 8. I even have them walk together as teens... but of course the crime rate is high here.

Well said BP!!!! Why risk it, do our 8 year old children have to be independent??? Even if it doesn't happen often, once is enough for me!!!!! In that respect I was very overprotective my children did not leave my sight when they were small and certainly not at 8. It is a crazy world out there!! I cannot imagine how these parents will get past the loss and not question the decision they made every day. No parent deserves this and I am sure they thought this decision was right for their family. My heart goes out to them and this poor child.

Yes I saw this...it was truly heart breaking...

what makes it worse? he was murdered by a Hasidic Jew - one of his own - and they have community patrols and everything...

They say the boy asked for directions and they guy took him and then murdered him - NOT AFTER the missing kid report...that's the way I understand it...truly sad.

No but yesterday I read about an 8-yr-old boy who was allowed to walk home by himself for the first time. He stopped to ask for directions and the man not only killed him but cut him into pieces! How devastated his family must be. I do not understand this kind of evil.
Edit:
Sorry I misread and thought you were talking about L A. This is the same story.

OMG - that is AWFUL!!!!

and to answer your question, no I hadn't heard that heartbreaking story.....

Our grand daughter is 7 and my husband thinks she is old enough to walk to and from school. I told him no, not just no but no way in hell. We would divorce first.

When we live across the street from the school and the only way across is a crossing guard in a crosswalk and one of us are waiting or watching from the house...then I will let her walk home.

All it takes is one person to see them and stop their car, get out and grab them, stuff them in and drive off to never be seen again. It happened to that girl who was found 18 years later, it happens every day somewhere. It is not going to be that easy for any of my grand-kids.

yes I did. and yes, it was and is heartbreaking. news like this really really get to me. those poor parents.. makes me not want to let go of my kid until he's 30 :(

I had not seen or heard about this. What an awful situation! My heart goes out to the parents, who must be consumed by grief and guilt. Although, there are many many MANY parents of missing children who have no idea where their kids are or what happened to them. My heart breaks for them as well. I am gonna go hug my 9YO now. :(

I did, I saw it on the news and I cried my eyes out. I feel so so so sad for this little child's family. They must be just so devistated! I just can't understand how someone can do such a horrible thing to a child.