The Kidnapping

by Aiden Vaughan

  “Mrs. Hunter, I know that you are concerned about your son and want some action right away, but before we can do anything, we need to find out what you know so far. Please tell us everything that you can about Jason’s activities for today.” Both officers had notebooks out and began writing.

  Edith recapped the events of the day as she understood them, mentioning how Jason was off to City Park with his cousins, the Encinos, his failure to return home, and how she had been calling around to his friends. “I thought he was with them and Janet Encino until at least 2:00 p.m. but apparently Jason decided to leave the park around noon because his cousin had Little League practice. I was surprised to find out that she wasn’t with them at the park.”

  “Was Jason permitted to go around town on his own?” Lt. Garcia asked.

  “Sometimes he would go places on his bike, but the rule is that he communicates his whereabouts at all times if he isn’t at home or school,” Edith replied. “If he was going someplace that we didn’t know about, he was to ask permission first. That’s one of the main reasons we let him have a cell phone.”

  Lt. Garcia asked her to give them Jason’s cell number, service provider, and the Encino’s address and telephone numbers. “We will check out the calls on his cell number and we definitely have questions for the Encinos we would like to ask.” Garcia then asked Daniel what he knew about Jason’s activities for today.

  Daniel told the lieutenant about the message Jason had left on his cell phone that morning while he was at the YMCA, and that he hadn’t heard anything from him since. “I have tried to reach him on his cell several times this afternoon because we were planning to get together and play some video games. But I never got a response. Not calling me back is not like Jason. He likes to keep things organized and moving, especially since he was the one who changed our meeting time.”

  Lt. Garcia then asked Edith, “We need a complete description of Jason—what he was wearing and a photograph we can borrow.”

  “Jason is fourteen-years old, about five feet five inches tall and weighs about 125 pounds. He has medium sandy blond hair, which is almost yellow. I think I have four or five of his school photos in the desk that you can take. He was wearing a white and blue print tee shirt, brown, camouflage-patterned shorts, and red sneakers,” Edith described.

  “Not just any red sneakers,” Daniel added, “but red Converse Chuck Taylor All Star high-tops. They are very distinctive in appearance.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. They are quite noticeable. I had a pair of chucks when I was your age. Glancing at Daniel’s feet Lt. Garcia continued, “I see they are still considered cool today.” Garcia closed his notebook and stood up to take the photographs from Edith. “Detective Spencer, why don’t you talk to young Daniel outside while I talk in private with Mrs. Hunter?”

  Det. Spencer and Daniel went outside and sat on wicker chairs. The Hunters had a nice, old-fashioned, covered porch that overlooked the street and neighborhood. Andrea Spencer spoke first. “Daniel, I know that this is difficult for you right now, with your friend missing, but we have to ask a lot of questions in order to get a clear picture of the situation. Now, how long have you known Jason?”

  “We met at school about a year and a half ago. My parents and I had just moved here from Maryland. Jason was one of the first persons I was able to make friends with.”

  “How well would you say that you know him?”

  “I would say over the past year we have become best friends. We certainly have spent a lot of time together.”

  “How does Jason get along with his parents? Are there any problems you are aware of?”

  “As far as I know, they are getting along great. Jason has never talked in a negative way about them and I don’t ever remember him being grounded or in trouble at home since I’ve known him. Whenever I have been over at his house, his parents have always made me feel welcome and comfortable. Outgoing, just like Jason, they make you feel like family when you are in their company. They always seemed interested in what Jason and I or his others friends were doing, in a way that was respectful of our space.”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Hunter sound like great parents to me! What about with other family members? Does he have brothers and sisters?” the detective continued.

  “No, Jason is an only child, just like I am. Maybe that’s one of the reasons that we get along so well.”

  “Were there any problems that Jason had at school? Any problems with other kids?”

  “I don’t think so. Jason can be very charming when he wants to, and I believe most of the other kids think highly of him. He has a brilliant, analytical mind, and schoolwork comes easily to him. Yet, he never brags about his intelligence or tries to act as if he is better than other people.”

  “Were some of the other kids jealous of him...perhaps resenting his success and popularity?”

  “If there are people who don’t like Jason, they sure haven’t made themselves known to me.”

  “How about girlfriends or other romantic entanglements? Is there anyone special that he is seeing?”

  “Jason doesn’t have a steady girlfriend but he does like socializing and having fun. He often goes to school social activities like dances and mixers. Diana Miglione and Laura Friesen are two of the girls that he likes to socialize with.”

  Smiling, Det. Spencer said, “Jason sounds like a really nice kid, but does he have any hidden secrets or problems that you knew about? Did he ever experiment with drugs or alcohol?”

  Shaking his head, Daniel answered, “He never indicated an interest in using drugs to me. Although we didn’t speak often about it, I think that getting high didn’t have a lot of appeal to Jason. He always seemed much more interested in how things worked, playing sports, games, or trying out new interests and pursuits than just sitting around smoking a joint or sneaking a beer from his father’s liquor cabinet.”

  “Daniel, I really appreciate your candor about things. You know that it is very rare for someone to just go missing, run away or disappear without some sort of personal reason behind it. Usually there is a burning issue in someone’s life that leads them astray or gets them in trouble with their parents or the law. From what you are telling me, there are no such issues in Jason’s life. So what do you think has happened to him?”

  “That very question has been eating away at me ever since I realized that something has caused Jason to go missing. I keep going over and over in my head what could have happened to him and no good answer comes to mind. How could a young teen, with no problems in his life, be playing in a public park in broad daylight one minute and then go missing the next? It just doesn’t make sense.” Daniel hung his head in frustration.

  “That clearly is the question that we are facing today. What kinds of answers have you come up with so far?” the detective asked, hoping the young man might be able to come up with a suggestion or possibility.

  Again, shaking his head as he hesitantly voiced his thoughts, Daniel replied, “I’m really afraid...that some sort of serious harm has come to him. I know that he would try to contact someone with his cell phone if he could. That’s what bothers me the most. There have been no messages or calls from Jason to anyone I have talked to today...most likely because someone has prevented Jason from doing so...

  “A second possibility is that somehow he has rubbed someone the wrong way and that person responded with violence. While Jason can be very pleasant and charming, I know that he sometimes will speak impulsively if he sees something he doesn’t like. That is one of the reasons that we hit it off as friends...because I also don’t like a lot of the immature or rude behavior that we see from so many people today.

  “Another possibility is that somehow Jason stumbled into some sort of crime going on—a drug deal or gang rivalry—and he was the innocent bystander in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  “And my worst thought is that he is in the hands of a predator—someone who saw an attractive young kid by himself and pounced.”

>   “Wow, Daniel, you talked about Jason having an analytical mind. I would say you have the same. You should consider a career in law enforcement.” Detective Spencer reached into her purse, took out a business card, and handed it to him. “If you think of anything else at all, don’t hesitate to call me. It doesn’t matter what time of the day or night.”

  She stood up, placed her hands on Daniel’s shoulders and looked him in the eyes as she said, “Daniel, honey, please know that we will do everything in our power to find your friend.” Stepping away she continued, “We have a very good team in place and now we have a lot of work to do in order to track down Jason. Thank you again for your cooperation and assistance.”

  Back inside the house, a similar conversation was going on between Detective Garcia and Jason’s mother. “Mrs. Hunter, now that we have pretty much exhausted all of the innocent possibilities as to why Jason is missing, we have to take a look at the unpleasant ones. Jason could have come across a crime scene or criminal activity. His actions could have been totally harmless or inadvertent. But, unfortunately, a lot of people are killed or injured due to just this reason. This particular scenario doesn’t appear too likely to me at this time. We haven’t heard of any major criminal activities going down at City Park recently and with the park in use a lot, and regularly patrolled by the police, gangs have tended to stay away, especially during the day.

  “The next possibility is that Jason is the victim of a sexual predator who saw him wandering through the park and decided to act. This possibility is highly unlikely also, because usually predators take some time to stalk and check out their victims before acting. The stalker would have to know the victim’s schedule of activities prior to grabbing him in order to prepare a way to capture him. The fact that Jason went missing in broad daylight would make this type of crime particularly brazen and difficult to execute without being seen by someone. But it is possible. Have you noticed anyone strange hanging about or has Jason mentioned anything about incidents at school or on the way there?”

  “Jason never mentioned anything to me recently. Aren’t these type of crimes usually committed on younger kids because they are less likely to be aware and easier to subdue in an attack?” Mrs. Hunter asked. “Jason is fourteen and in good physical shape. We have talked to him about resisting, shouting out loud, or trying to run away if he was ever accosted. Wouldn’t you think that there would be at least signs of a struggle if an attack on him had occurred?”

  “Your point is well taken, Mrs. Hunter. And the fact that he went missing from the City Park area, a place that he didn’t normally frequent, makes it highly unlikely that someone was out to get Jason specifically, unless they had been already following him for some reason.”

  Lt. Garcia continued, “We also should look at the possibility of an actual kidnapping for ransom. This is the classic missing-person crime. When a young boy is kidnapped, the crime is usually due to some previous action on the part of the parents. The crime is typically done for revenge or to settle a debt—either financial or personal—or to extort a large sum of money from a wealthy family.”

  “I don’t know what to say to that, Lieutenant Garcia. My husband and I have some financial means, but we certainly aren’t what the average person would describe as rich. We are not involved in any organized crime and we have a very low profile in the community. When you look around Santa Clara County, there are literally hundreds of people better off than we are—millionaires with very high profiles. A lot of money has been made here and has stayed here. I work in the marketing department of a software company. Why would we become targets?”

  “I can’t answer that at this time, but maybe your husband can shed some light on this when he arrives back here.”

  “Bill is currently on a business trip out of town. As soon as I can get in touch with him, I will have him get on an airplane,” she said.

  Taking a deep breath, as if he was about to address something unpleasant, the lieutenant said, “Mrs. Hunter, there is one more possibility that we must explore. Is there any circumstance in Jason’s life that would cause him to run away from home? Are there any family problems you haven’t mentioned, or has Jason been secretive about some part of his life lately?”

  “I can’t believe you are asking me these questions,” Edith snapped back angrily. “I have been patiently spending over half and hour describing everything we know about Jason and his social environment. We are a loving family and there are no problems that I know of with Jason. I’m sure Daniel and his other friends will back me up on this!”

  Somewhat embarrassed, Lt. Garcia apologetically said, “I’m sorry to upset you, Mrs. Hunter, but you would be amazed at how many parents don’t really know what goes on in their children’s lives. Then, when a crisis erupts, they are often the last people to find out. When I commit a team of police officers on a missing person’s investigation, I have to be sure that we have all the pertinent information so that we don’t waste our time looking in the wrong places.”

  “I know that you are trying to do your job, Lieutenant Garcia, but we are wasting precious time. Jason has been missing for over five hours now. He’s a wonderful person who must be in terrible danger. Can you stop talking about it and do something out in the field? I totally believe that he would do the right thing if he was capable of it. Please do something now to find him!” she implored.

  “All right, Mrs. Hunter, we’ll get a team on it right away. Please be aware that we may have to question you again until we get a real lead. Also, we would like you to give us permission to put a tap on your telephone in case there is a ransom call. I am going to leave Detective Spencer here with you now. I will ask for around-the-clock surveillance and someone will always be here at the house until we hear something.”

  “Do what you must do. Please find my son!” With that Edith burst into tears.

  CHAPTER 4

  THE POLICE INVESTIGATE

  (Monday Evening)

  Upon leaving Mrs. Hunter, Lt. Garcia talked with Detective Spencer by their squad car. “Andrea, I am going to activate this case with a full team for now. I want you to stay here with Mrs. Hunter until I can get the team in place and someone to relieve you. Did you learn anything more from talking to the boy?”

  Detective Spencer reported, “He seemed to back up everything that the mother said. There aren’t any skeletons in Hunter closet that I have been able to find. No drugs, family abuse, involvement in crime, or potential for teen pregnancy. He’s popular in school and getting good grades. Jason sounds self-motivated, happy, and an unlikely candidate to run away from home. The only area of potential so far may be teen jealousy or resentment, but it doesn’t sound like it would come from Jason’s immediate circle of friends.”

  “Damn, this is the worst type of missing person’s case! Already five hours has passed by. An intelligent and charming poster boy kid with loving family and friends has suddenly vanished into thin air from our showcase, downtown park, in our low-crime rate city, in the middle of broad daylight. If the media gets on this before we find anything substantial, I sure hope we can come up with some good answers for the mayor, chief of police, and every concerned parent when they ask us, ‘How could this happen here?’ ” His frustration and fear came through loud and clear.

  Garcia got on his cell phone, reported to the captain of detectives that a new case was opening up, and began assembling a team. He was able to get six other officers to help right away. Because of the long lapse in time, the lateness of the day, and the City Park location of the alleged crime, he had the team meet at the park baseball fields in order to save some time.

  * * *

  The team met at City Park around 6:15 p.m. Lt. Garcia quickly briefed everyone on the developments and information they had so far. He wanted to take advantage of the remaining hours of daylight so he had Sergeant Humphrey Jackson and Detective Will Nguyen canvass the park for any possible clues. Also, he asked them to try and establish what possible route (or routes)
Jason could have taken for his walk home and if there was still anyone there at the park who might have seen Jason earlier that day.

  Since Jason’s house was located to the east of the park, Sergeant Cynthia Nuñez and Detective Robert Barclay were sent to the residential streets just east of the park. Their assignment was to go door to door for several blocks, showing Jason’s picture and finding out if anyone had actually seen him in those particular neighborhoods. After doing this, if time permitted, they were then to work their way to the south neighborhoods surrounding the south exit, the gateway to downtown.

  Sergeant Jim Malone, who had expertise in technology and financial forensics, was given Jason’s cell phone number and asked to pull a report on all his recent calls and to identify who he had called and received calls from in the past few months. He was also asked to check out telephone records and financial information on the Hunter family. “Won’t I need a warrant for this?” he asked Lt. Garcia.

  “Mrs. Hunter has reported her minor son as missing, so there is no problem getting his records,” Garcia replied. “I want you also to check out if there is any Internet business going on with Jason. Does he have a personal website or account on one of the popular social sites that young people like? Or is there any other buzz on him put up by other kids that might provide motives or clues? As for Mr. and Mrs. Hunter, just get the general financial information that any business could get. Mrs. Hunter says that they are comfortably well off. See what can you find out that backs that up. If you find discrepancies, we’ll go for a warrant and take a closer look. Right now, I don’t want any more pressure on the family then they already have.”

  The sixth member of the team, technical assistant Samuel Washburn, was assigned to install the telecommunications setup at the Hunter home. This included tapping the existing telephone lines, adding extra telephones to monitor conversations, and setting up recording devices to record any incoming calls. Although he still wasn’t sure of the true nature of Jason’s disappearance, Garcia didn’t want to be unprepared in case the Hunters were contacted by kidnappers wanting a ransom.