Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Girl nabbed by sex predator at bus stop! 'Don't Be A Victim'

Episode Date: September 25, 2020

When 14-year-old Alianna DeFreeze failed to show up for school, no one called her parents to let them know. It turned out the student was kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered by a man who snatched her as she stepped off a school bus.Tragically, Alianna is not the only student to go missing on their way to or from the school bus stop. As a parent, what should you do to protect your children while at the bus stop? Nancy Grace investigates and shares tips from her new book, "Don't Be A Victim: Fighting Back Against America's Crime Wave'"Order your copy of "Don't Be A Victim."Joining Nancy Grace Today:Damon DeFreeze - Father of Alianna DeFreeze Co-Founder of "The Alianna DeFreeze Foundation" a nonprofit 501c3: www.thealiannadefreezefoundation.com WyTonya DeFreeze - Step-mother of Alianna DeFreeze, Executive Director/Co-Founder "The Alianna DeFreeze Foundation" a nonprofit 501c3: www.thealiannadefreezefoundation.com Specialist Marc Klaas - Father of Polly Klaas - Founder of the Klaas Kids FoundationLawyer - Wendy Patrick- California prosecutor, author “Red Flags”, Host of "Live With Dr. Wendy" on KCBQ Radio: www.wendypatrickphd.com Psych - Dr. Angela Arnold - Psychiatrist, Atlanta Ga.: www.angelaarnoldmd.comInvestigator James Shelnutt - 27-year Atlanta Metro Major Case Detective, SWAT Officer, Attorney: www.shelnuttlawfirm.comMedical Examiner Joe Scott Morgan - Professor of Forensics Jacksonville State University, Author,"Blood Beneath My Feet"Sierra Gillespie - Investigative Reporter Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. I know this sounds rhetorical, but why can we put people on the moon? Why can we have a telescope looking at Mars and we can't save our own children? Why is that? Over the years that I have personally investigated and prosecuted child kidnap, child rape, and child murder. I've always wondered why. Why are registered sex offenders allowed to roam free and prey on our children? Why aren't the laws tougher?

Why aren't monitors set up around schools, around school bus stops? Why? Today more than ever. And I'll tell you why. In two words. Aliana DeVries. That's why. And I had to pause just saying her name because every time I say it, I get a big lump in my throat. I want you to take a listen to our friends at WKYC3 News.

When she didn't make it to school, her aunt knew, just knew that she was in trouble. This isn't like her. She's been gone for more than 24 hours. Family, friends, some who just want to help. Searching for Aliana. Here, police helped look in abandoned buildings, down alleyways, leaving no stone unturned. Let's review the timeline yesterday. At 6.38 a.m., mom puts her daughter on the bus. She spotted getting off the bus at East 93rd shortly after. Later, she's reportedly seen outside of her school.

That's at East 36th and Superior. Then back near East 93rd in Kinsman at this McDonald's with another girl. No one can say exactly where she went, but looking straight into the camera, her family can say this tonight. We will not stop looking for you until we find you. We love you and we just want you to come home. We just want you back. Just come home.

You know, I know it doesn't make sense, but I've done it myself. When you can't find your child, you start going, Lucy, Lucy. And when there's no answer, it gets louder and louder and louder. And you start running, looking. I've done that myself, looking for my son and my daughter at different times. And that's what I heard in that voice calling out for Aliana. With me, Sierra Gillespie, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter. Joseph Scott Morgan, professor of forensics, author of Blood Beneath My Feet, now the star of Poisonous Liaisons on Crime and Investigation.

James Shelnut, 27 years, Metro major case, now lawyer. Psychiatrist Dr. Angela Arnold, renowned victims' rights advocate. One of my personal heroes, Mark Klass, who took the disappearance and death of his daughter, Polly, and turned it into a world-changing mission. Wendy Patrick, California prosecutor, author of Red Flags, host of Live with Dr. Wendy, KCBQ, and to two very, very special guests that I've long wanted to sit down with, Aliana's parents, her stepmom, Watanya DeFreeze, and her dad, Damon DeFreeze. Damon, do you recall what happened the day Aliana went missing that morning? That morning was like any other morning.

Her biological mother dropped her off at the bus stop. We weren't notified until 5.30 that evening that she never made it to school. Stop right there. Stop right there. That's a big time difference, Mark Klass, joining me, founder of Klass Kids Foundation. A big lead. 6.30 in the morning until 5. That's 12 hours. Hit me with the stat, Mark, as only you can. What are the stats about children going missing regarding school routes? Well, school routes is unbelievable, and this is something that can definitely be addressed, as you mentioned at the very beginning of your show. 30% of all stranger abductions in the United States occur on school routes, either

children going to school or children coming home from school. And certainly later in the broadcast, we can talk about how we can address this. Now, children that are kidnapped by a predator, within three hours, if the children are going to be murdered, within three hours, 74% of those children are going to be dead. So there's really absolutely no time at all to waste in these situations. There needs to be a mechanism at schools so that if children don't show up in the morning, the school does an alert or does a check back with the parents to make sure that there isn't some kind of a miscommunication and that, in fact, the child hasn't disappeared for unknown reasons. and heartbroken about Aliana DeFries' story, when I started writing my new book, Don't Be a Victim, Fighting Back Against America's Crime Wave, I put her and her story front and center in Chapter 1. We thank you for that.

Aliana goes missing. This little girl, who is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, very eager, had a special tutoring class that morning, as I believe I know the facts. Is that true? And she would never have missed it. In fact, she was planning on being early to it. Is that correct, Mr. Freeze? Watanya? Yes, it is. What was she getting tutored in?

In math. Aliana loved school. Even if she was sick, she wanted to go to school. Her math and her reading, she needed help in. Well, my children are getting tutored in math right now. And your story got me so distraught. I make the tutor come to the house because I don't want them taking a bike or walking to the tutor, although it's not far away at all.

I thought it was in math. Guys, this little girl, not complaining about tutoring, not complaining about the early morning hours. She's catching a bus at 630 in the morning to go to special tutoring because she wants to make an A. She doesn't want a C. She doesn't want a B. She wants an A in math. That's who Aliana was. Take a listen to our friend Hillary Golston, WKYC3. Her family is just sick here, totally worried about this girl. They say she is sweet, outgoing, and very trusting. And I'm here to come back and give me a hug and kiss. And that was the last time I saw her. If she's cold or lonely or scared, at least the last time we know anyone saw Aliana DeFreeze,

it was her mom, and she got a hug and a kiss. And I always make sure she gets on the bus before I leave the bus stop. Her school principal says she's very impressionable. She's someone that wants to be well-liked, and so she'll follow the crowd. To psychiatrist Dr. Angela Arnold, joining me out of the Atlanta jurisdiction, AngelaArnoldMD.com. Dr. Angela, all little girls this age, or most of them, go along with the crowd. They want to be liked. Sure.

So you've got that impressionism. They're very impressionable at that young age. But the bio mom takes her to the bus stop and puts her on the bus stop, sees her get on the bus. So don't you know the bio mom just beats yourself up every day but there was she did everything she could that's right and the little girl and and it was just a typical day for the little girl also everything was going along as it normally did this there is no fault on the part of that mother Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Guys, we are talking about the disappearance of a gorgeous young girl. You can see her at CrimeOnline.com.

And her story is told in this new book, Don't Be a Victim, Fighting Back Against America's Crime Wave. So let me understand this. To Mr. DeFreeze, father of Aliana, co-founder of the Aliana DeFreeze Foundation, Damon, she's put on the bus at 630. Did she have to swap buses somewhere along the route? Yes. This is a dangerous area. I stressed to her bio mom the dangers of this catching buses. She should have been rolled on. Someone should have been on the bus with her, not to point fingers.

I live way across town. I'm working. My wife has health conditions. This area is very dangerous, abandoned buildings. She should never have been on the bus. So she did have to make a switch, right? Yes, ma'am. Can I tell you, living in New York, when I'd have to make a subway switch, never failed. 15 years and counting, I still mess it up as a grown woman. I still mess up. You go this far on the subway, you got to switch to that one.

Still mess it up. I've never gotten it right the first time. It's always at least the second time before I get it right. And here we've got this young girl making a bus switch. Mark Klaas, help me out. You know, when I'm taking the children to school every morning and I see one little boy in particular, his bicycle is bigger than him and he's on the sidewalk pedaling to school and I know how far he has to go. And I worry about that little boy every morning. Why do we lull ourselves into thinking it's never going to happen to us? Well, that's a great question, Nancy.

And I think Mr. DeVries hit the nail on the head. What we have to do in these situations, knowing now that one-third of all abductions occur on school routes, what we have to do is address that specifically. First of all, parents should always show their children the safest routes to and from school, and the kids should always be with at least one other person, and that person should be an adult if possible. And there should also be surveillance at all school bus stops, maybe at all bus stops. I mean electronic surveillance so that we can look into the eye of the camera and see exactly what happened to that child should they disappear. Now, surveillance can be addressed in a number of ways,

both high-tech and low-tech. We can put cameras up on all the surveillance routes, but we can also turn it into a neighborhood kind of a project. It can be an elderly project where the elderly people in the neighborhood take turns watching the children go to and from school to ensure no hanky-panky takes place. Or it could be a neighborhood watch program. Or it could be a Lions Club program. There are ways to deal with this issue. And we're not doing it as a society. As a result, little children like Aliana and so many more that you and I both know about disappear, unfortunately, on a regular basis and are never seen live again.

To the bus stop, from the bus stop, after drop-off at the bus stop, getting onto the right bus at school, walking to school, walking home from school. That is when over 30% of all stranger child abductions take place. Why? Mark Klass and the DeFreezes, can I tell you how much you have impacted my life and the way I take care of my twins and how I wrote this book with you and your voices echoing in my head. The whole time I wrote that first chapter, which is safe. Let me get the exact wording of the first chapter because it's, it covers so much. Your child safe at school, and it starts off with bus stops, the route to bus stops, the route to many people biking and walking to school. We all remember J.C. Duggar, who was walking to school, and she was grabbed as she walked on her route.

Not a bus stop walked on her route. Not a bus stop, but in route. That's the way it happens. Guys, we're talking right now about Aliana DeFreeze. There were no surveillance video cameras at the first stop. But I want you to take a listen to our friends at Crime Watch Daily. It was just after dawn. Aliana is changing buses at this Cleveland intersection. She never arrives at school. The alert system is down and Denisha doesn't find

out Aliana was gone for nearly 10 hours. Cleveland police mount an intense search for the 14-year-old. We followed up on dozens of leads that we have from the community and we asked the community to continue to phone in those leads. Straight out to Aliana's father, Mr. DeFreeze. Mr. DeFreeze, let me understand something. So she gets to one bus stop, and then she has to get off and catch another bus to get to tutoring. She's fine. She's on time. Everything's going well. But you never hear, nor does her mom, that she doesn't make it to school. I have told, because of you,

I have told my school by email, by phone, and in person, if my child is not in class, text me and the father immediately. Don't wait. If they're not in first period, I need to know right then. Why is it? You know, you go the whole day and at 530, how did you realize something was wrong?

My sentiment is exactly, Ms.ace. When I was a child in school, we took attendance first period. You weren't there. Your parents were contacted. My wife and I were watching a movie at 530 in the evening. We received a call from Ms. Cooper and asked,

she asked us, did you guys pick up Aliana? I said, no, we didn't pick her up. If we would have picked her up, we would have contacted you the day before. Why? What's going on? And she said she never made it to school. Mr. DeFries, who is Ms. Cooper? That's her bio mom. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. So the bio mom calls you and says, did you pick up Aliana? And what went through your mind when you heard, did you pick up Aliana? I automatically knew. I mean, just there's something about me.

I just, my stomach dropped. The window was open. It was a near blizzard outside. Snow was blowing. It's about two feet of snow and my stomach just sank. What is that, that feeling? And I want to go now to our other incredible guest joining us. When he calls and says, he hears the mom say, do you have Aliana? To Dr. Angela Arnold, he says his stomach just dropped.

That feeling that you know immediately something horrible has happened. What is that? I mean, it's a premonition of some sort. Well, it's a premonition, and it's also a connection that he has with his daughter. It's a connection, and it was so out of the ordinary for her to be missing. And that is why he knew immediately that something had to be wrong. Well, let me ask you this, Mr. DeFreeze. When the mom calls and says, do you have Aliana?

And all this time had passed. You call the school, right? And what did they tell you? We were we were told that there was a glitch in the system that day, so things weren't working. And I asked them, well, you have people sitting in offices every time I go to the school. Why can't they directly call parents to do what they're supposed to do? But there was a glitch in the system, and that's what we were told. To Sierra Gillespie, joining me, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter.

What happened next? Nancy, after that, a lot of people were deployed out looking for this little girl. I mean, for days, people are out, hundreds of people searching the Cleveland area, hoping to find her. To Damon DeFreeze, Aliana's father, Sierra Gillespie has told us his search went on for days. After several days, what happened? It was a blizzard, as I mentioned. Every day it's snowing. Families out there, communities out there helping us. The police are there.

We're shoulder to shoulder looking at abandoned houses. My wife and I, we were searching. We'd come home. It was freezing. One, two in the morning, we'd come home, try to sleep. We're looking at each other. We're quiet. Our faces are blank.

But deep down inside, I know that she's no longer with us. I mean, I know. I know my child. And I had to be strong for my wife because out of my daughters, Aliana and her, Aliana had a very, very special bond. And this was tearing her apart. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

Guys, you hear Aliana's father describing the search. Searching until 1 and 2 o'clock in the morning. It's literally a blizzard outside in Ohio. And he says he knows inside his daughter is no longer amongst the living. Take a listen to our friend Tiffany Tarpley, WKYC3. Cleveland police are trying to figure out who would murder a 14-year-old girl. It is now confirmed that the body of Aliana DeFries was found in a vacant home earlier this week. Tiffany Tarpley joins us from the newsroom now and Tiffany investigators had to use DNA to identify her. And Lena John they also had to use fingerprints. That's likely why it took days to make that positive identification after her body

was found on Sunday. She was in a vacant home on Fuller Avenue of course that's on Cleveland's east side and it's not far from where she was last seen alive on video just days before that. Tuesday, the mayor, police chief, FBI agents, and the medical examiner stood together asking for the public's help in this case. They are offering a $22,000 reward. Aliana's aunt and the rest of her family want justice. How could someone do this to a baby? How could someone do this to anyone?

It's like a nightmare that I still haven't been able to wake up from. En route to school. As Mark Klaas is here to tell you, statistics show between 30 and 40 percent of all non-parental kidnaps of children center around the school bus, the school bus stop, the route to and home from school or the school bus. Hearing this is tearing apart the DeFries family. It makes me feel sick to my stomach to go through what happened to Aliana. But do not turn away from the truth. We put together every case I investigated, prosecuted, reported on, statistics, experts, to give you tips how not to be a victim, to fight back against

America's crime wave. Joining me with an all-star panel are Aliana's parents, her dad, Damon, her stepmom, Watanya. Mr. Freeze, do you remember when you got the news that Aliana's body had been found? Yes, I remember. It just tore me up inside because Aliana is my baby. She has been since she was three years old and it was very hard and it's still hard

not having her here with us today. Mr. and Mr. Frese, I know these words sound so empty but I'm just so sorry for what you've gone through and what you still go through every day of your life. I'm trying so hard to change things, to make a difference, to help other people, as you are doing with your Aliana DeFreeze Foundation

at thealianadefreezefoundation.com. Mark Klass, how old was Polly when you lost her? Well, Polly was 12 years old when I lost her, and that unfolded under very different circumstances. I actually received the middle-of-the-night phone call that Polly had been kidnapped and confirmed that with the police and then spent 65 days looking for her. But I always held out hope. I always believed that she was still alive until they were able to prove otherwise. Mark, you hear the DeFries family, even now, just in tears. When does it start getting better?

Well, it takes so much. You know, it took me a lot of, it took me some medications. It took me the love of my family, certainly the love of my wife. And it took me about a decade worth of counseling. I mean, it's been over three years for Mrs. DeVries, and she can barely even speak about the incident now. She's still so torn up. But listen, ma'am, there is light at the end of the tunnel. It's not easy to find the light, but depend on those who love you. Cling to your faith and at some point you will be able to smell the flowers again, listen to the music

and put a smile on your face because that's how Aliana would have wanted it. She wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life in misery. Yeah, I know that. I know that. Guys, we're talking about the disappearance and now we know the death of a gorgeous

little girl en route to an early morning tutoring session. She couldn't wait because she wanted to make an A in math. Now we learn more. Take a listen to our friends at Crime Watch Daily. Less than a week after Eliana's body was found in arrest. This defendant followed a child from a bus stop, kidnapped her, then savagely and brutally assaulted her and murdered her. Christopher Whitaker is a registered sex offender who had done time in the past for felonious assault and sexual battery. How was Whitaker caught?

A tip leads cops to a house where he was reportedly living. A house which was miles away from where authorities believed he'd been staying, where he'd registered as a sex offender. We spoke to them every day. They was our neighbors. I never even knew till I seen it on my Facebook that that was Chris. I'm like, oh my God. Whitaker is now being held without bond, charged with aggravated murder, rape, kidnapping, aggravated burglary, and abusing a corpse. Joining me, death investigator Joseph Scott Morgan, Professor of Forensics, Jacksonville State University, author of Blood Beneath My Feet, and star of a new program, Poisonous Liaisons. Joe Scott, it pains me

so much to look at Aliana's photos of her in life and to ask you this question. What did the autopsy show? Nancy, I can't even begin to plumb the depths of what she went through.

Absolute and total, utter brutality. And, you know, when you read over what the pathologist found, it's not just in the immediate it wasn't, forgive me for saying this, an immediate death. There's evidence that she had been tortured and that things had begun to injuries that she had initially sustained had begun to heal. And that just makes this all the more darker.

You know, Mr. Klass had mentioned just a moment ago about surveillance in our neighborhoods to protect our neighborhoods. Well, let me tell you something else, Nancy. There are people that are surveilling, but it's not the right people. You have people like Whitaker that are almost like a lion that are just sitting there and they're waiting quietly. They don't, even in these tough neighborhoods, they don't mind the drug addicts. They don't mind the prostitutes. They look for the weakest person. And that's what he did because when he took her back to that abandoned house and it was abandoned, he was prepared, Nancy. He had all manner of tools. I'm not going to go into all of the graphic details, but this guy was prepared, fully prepared. And he is a predator without question.

He even had a history of predatory behavior. So what you're saying is this is a registered sex predator. I'm talking about the defendant Whitaker, who had with him a kill kit, a drill, a screwdriver, and other tools used to torture this little girl. A kill kit. A kill kit. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Guys, we are talking about a gorgeous young girl on her way to tutoring. A little girl who wanted an A in math, who made a bus stop change.

And at that moment, the world collided. The name Aliana DeFries is now known throughout the crime victim community. Take a listen to our friends at Crime Watch Daily. One eyewitness, Kenneth Chambers, who had never come forward before, claims he saw Whitaker grab Aliana. He grabbed her and my first thought was to call the police. Chambers, now haunted by that decision, was a high school student at the time. He testifies he didn't call cops because he thought Whitaker might have known Eliana. So right there, let me go out to Wendy Patrick, California prosecutor, author of Red Flags and host of Live with Dr. Wendy KCBQ. You can find her at WendyPatrickPhD.com.

Wendy, there was an eyewitness that sees the perp dragging Aliana, leading her off. At first, I looked at the video. They just seem to be walking together. Then he kind of grabs her and steers her away. The witness said nothing. When you see something, say something. Amen, Nancy. You know, we've talked about a couple of things.

We've talked about the fact that Neighborhood Watch, not only the good guys are watching, we've also talked about the reality that people have to be trained what to watch for and what to do with the information they see. As you point out, you can't just witness something and then just assume the best. Well, maybe it's a relative dispute. These types of things have to be reported. So we talk about it being a watch, a neighborhood watch issue, but we also talk about it being a training issue. Community members want to know what my book is about, the red flags. They want to know what to look for, what to be suspicious of, how to detect

behaviors that are and are not typical of somebody that knows a perpetrator or whether it's a stranger or a relative. And then, like you said, always in an abundance of caution to report it rather than simply assume, oh, I guess maybe it's just relatives or I don't want to get involved. That last piece, you and I as prosecutors know sometimes leads to these kinds of tips being overlooked and unreported. To James Shelnut, 27 years Metro Major case, SWAT officer, now lawyer, ShelnutLawFirm.com. Did you hear what Mr. DeVries said at this spot where all he got was to change buses to get to school? There were abandoned houses, abandoned houses. That is a recipe for disaster. That's a play pin for criminals. Abandoned houses where children change routes to school. Are you

serious? How many times have you and I, you investigating, me prosecuting, seeing crimes go down in abandoned houses? I can't even count them all. And here it is on a school bus route. Oh, frequently. You know, my question is, where is the government, the local government in that situation? You know that those kids are getting on a bus there. You know what goes on at abandoned houses. You know, as Mr. DeFreeze described, this is a high-crime area.

This is a perfect recipe for disaster, and that's exactly what happened here. I want to go back to the parents of Aliana DeFreeze. I mean, one thing after the next after the next. There's no control over these abandoned houses at a bus stop where children change school bus routes. The registered sex offender walking

free that close to a school. The school not alerting you when Aliana didn't make it. The tutor not alerting you when Aliana didn't make it. The tutor not alerting you when Aliana didn't make it. The head start of 12 hours. I mean, it all, all combines as a perfect storm for disaster. Mr. DeFreeze, when you look at all of these things in conjunction combined, Aliana didn't have a chance, Mr. DeFreeze. Basically, she didn't.

This is something that we fight with here, fight for, should I say, here at the Aliana DeFreeze's Make a Change Foundation. We tirelessly went back and forth with City Hall here in Cleveland about these abandoned structures around our city. We have had a few removed, not at our pace and at our liking, but we have got detention of Mayor Frank Jackson and others. There have been getting buildings removed, but it's not at the pace we would like.

There's still crime, criminal activity taking place in these buildings, and children are still being found in these buildings. As we speak, there was a body found a couple of days ago in an abandoned house. It wasn't a child, but there was a body found in an abandoned home two days ago. Again, people on the moon, a telescope on Mars, but we can't get this straight in our own backyard? Guys, we worked tirelessly, and

we started with the story of Aliana DeFreeze in Don't Be a Victim, Fighting Back Against America's crime waves. This is for you. This book is for you. The DeFreezes are taking their pain,

and they have created the Aliana DeFreeze Foundation for you. Mark Klass, the very first tip I give in Chapter 1 regarding your child's safe at school bus crossings, routes, on the routes home from school is instruct your child's school to call and text you immediately if your child is absent and then insist that they follow through. You know, a lot of times I pick up other children when I pick up the twins and I write all the teachers. I write the school emails. I'm picking up so-and-so. Do you know how many times nothing happens? The other parent is not told. I now include the other parent on there, but it's like the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. I've got pages one, two, three, four, five pages of tips on this alone for parents with children that walk to a bus stop or walk to school and home. Some of the most important ones, I think, is to practice the route with your child.

Walk the route. Just don't say, walk to the bus stop. Have fun. See you at three. No. Walk the route with them if you can. If you can't, if you're already at work like my parents were, we walked with a group, as you mentioned, Mark Klass, or practice the route with your child.

Practice the route home with your child. Have a safety route, which means if a car comes up to you while you're walking, find a route that's off the street. Go in somebody's backyard and go as the crow flies home. Don't just tell your kid to do it. Practice it with them. Practice for them to always go in the direction opposite to where the car is headed because the car is going to have to turn around to come after them. That's important time. And find a safe house if there is one. A neighbor at home that your child can run to if you're not home.

It's so important. What can you tell me about safety at school bus stops, routes to school, and routes to the bus stop, Mark Klass? What can we do? Can we tell people to help them? Well, here's what I would tell people. I mean, we're talking about systemic failure from the top to the bottom, but there's an 800-pound gorilla in the room that hasn't been mentioned, and that's a failed criminal justice system that would allow somebody like christopher riddicker to be on the street in the first place this is a guy that's got a criminal history that extends back years

and involves grand theft burglary aggravated robbery felonious assault and sexual battery and you're telling me this character is allowed to walk the streets allowed to walk the streets unsupervised and get his hands on young children that's why all these other factors are so important why we have to ensure that our routes are safe for our children when they're going to and from school, and that we are able to somehow get control over this system, because quite frankly, I truly believe government is not protecting us or, more importantly, our kids. A few other tips I've come up with that I've amassed over time from other cases. Don't have your child's belongings monogrammed or their name. For a stranger to call out to your child, Aliana, the child might come over to the car thinking you

know the family. Get the child to the bus stop 10 minutes early. You don't want the bus to have already gone and they're standing there all alone. And if you pick your child up from the bus stop, get there early. Take your child to the bus stop if you can, if you can't have them walk in a group. Walk the route with your child before they walk it alone. Instruct your child, don't be engrossed with games or devices like smartphones. Be aware what's going on. I mean, I've got so many tips to help your child that could save their life. As I mentioned earlier, this book is for you. My proceeds are going to help find missing children. Don't be a victim fighting back against America's crime wave. Chapter 1, Your Child Safe.

I want to thank Watanya DeFreeze and Damon DeFreeze who are taking their pain and their suffering and turning it into something to help you at the AlianaDeFreeries Foundation dot com. Thank you guys for being with us. Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.