Missing Girls from Our Area

UPDATE:  Thanks to WCNC's Dianne Gallagher for pointing out that Tayviona Vandiver was located after two weeks.  Her name didn't come up in a search before posting this story except for the Charlotte Observer/WCNC partner link posted August 5 which shows her as "still missing" as of August 14.  It seems WCNC didn't tell the Observer, either.   Apologies for the error but so happy to know she is safe.  See the story at WCNC.com direct story here:

http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/12-year-old-girl-missing-in-Charlotte-217802281.html

The Charlotte Observer is reporting about Rowan County only recently reported missing by her brother, even though authorities now say she’s been gone since 2011.  The full story can be found here, with excerpts shown below:

Police: Missing girl’s parents are being uncooperative

Investigators searching for a missing Rowan County teenager say nothing the girl’s adoptive parents told them during two days’ worth of questioning was true, and the family is not being cooperative.

Erica Parsons’ older brother reported her missing last week. It appears the last time people at the family home on Miller Chapel Road in Salisbury saw her was November 2011.

No one knows where Erica Lynn Parsons is, or who she left with in 2011

What isn’t in the Observer story but has been reported in other media is that both the maternal grandmothers have been dead since years prior to the time frame the adoptive parents claim Erica went to live with her grandmother, driven away with some unknown person.

WBTV reported tonight on the one week delay between the missing persons report and posting Erica’s information on the Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s site (http://www.missingkids.com).  What they didn’t report and what is notable is that another young girl from our area is also missing, but not on the site either: 

The full story from the Charlotte Observer on Monday, Aug. 05, 2013 is here:

A 12-year-old Charlotte girl is still missing.

Tayviona Vandiver was last seen at her house on Cold Water Lane on July 23.

She is 5-foot-5 and 110 pounds. She is black and has black hair, and police say she may need medical attention.

Officers say Vandiver has run away before, but never for this length of time. She is known to frequent the Redman Road area near the Forest Ridge and East Walk apartment complexes.

Anyone with information should call 911.

EXTRA TELEVISION COVERAGE FOR TAYVIONA?

Tayviona is not listed on the Missing Kids site.  She hasn’t been reported as found.  She is likely not the only child from our area who isn’t safely at home.  Please watch for her as well. 

Please talk to your children about their own safety and about how to help their friends—that they should “tell on” their friends to keep them safe.  If there are secrets too big for kids to handle, go get the right adult to help.  And keep trying until everyone is somewhere safe. 

Meanwhile, look for these two girls to bring them home, and make sure if you see them you tell them they are loved and people are only interested in having them home safe:

Photo Credit:  Charlotte Observer
TAYVIONA VANDIVER, Age 12, current picture, 5' 5"
Missing from CHARLOTTE

Photo Credit: Charlotte Observer
ERICA LYNN PARSONS
Photo from 2011
Missing from ROWAN COUNTY

SAFETY INFORMATION

There are a number of sites with good resources for having conversations with your kids.  One specific list comes from the www.missingkids.com site (see www.take25.org/FamilyResources ) and could make a big difference.  Remember, it’s not just one conversation.  Of course, nobody wants to scare kids, but we do want to prepare kids:

Child safety is a serious subject, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have an enjoyable time talking about it with children. Sing songs, tell stories, play games, and interact with kids in a way that makes them feel safer. Consider the following topics as you begin the conversation.

• Teach children their full names, address, and home telephone number
• Make sure they know your full name
• Make sure children know how to reach you at work or on your cell phone
• Teach children how and when to use 911 and make sure children have a trusted adult to call if they’re scared or have an emergency
• Instruct children to keep the door locked and not to open the door to talk to anyone when they are home alone 
• Set rules with children about having visitors over when you’re not home and how to answer the telephone

See the same site to click on links for:

• ·       Conversation Starters
• ·       Safety Tips
• ·       Child ID kit
• ·       Emergency Contact for Parents
• ·       Bookmark (Nat’l. Center’s rules of safety)
• ·       Series of Mini Lessons
• ·       Activity Lessons
• ·       Parent Presentation

With the excitement of a new school season starting and everyday pressures, it’s a good time to review and teach your kids.

SCHOOL STARTS MONDAY

BACK TO SCHOOL

Monday, August 27^th, is the first day back to school for most kids in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System.  That means kids of all ages and their parents will pour onto the streets, excited and maybe stressed on their way to class in the midst of rush hour traffic.  Please:

• ·        Watch for children, tiny and teen
• ·        STAY OFF MOBILE PHONES
• ·        DO NOT TEXT WHILE DRIVING
• ·        Talk with kids about all kinds of safety (see tips to follow)
• ·        SLOW DOWN in school zones.  It’s the law and the right thing to do.

TALK WITH KIDS ABOUT SAFETY

The National Center for the Missing and Exploited Children has put together this list of important safety tips: 

An analysis by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children of attempted abductions during the past five years found that children are at most risk when going to and from school or school related activities¹.

Parents and other adults can help keep children safe by following these ten tips²:

1.    Teach your children to always TAKE A FRIEND with them when walking or biking, and stay with a group while standing at the bus stop. Make sure they know which bus to ride.

2.    Walk the route to and from school with your children pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they're being followed or need help. Teach your children they should NEVER TAKE SHORTCUTS and always stay in well-lit areas. 

3.    It is not safe for young children to walk to and from school, even in a group. Parents should always provide supervision for young children to help ensure their safe arrival to and from school. If your children wait for a bus, wait with them or make arrangements for supervision at the bus stop. 

4.    Teach your children that if anyone bothers them, makes them feel scared or uncomfortable to trust their feelings and immediately get away from that person. Teach them it is ok not to be polite and IT IS OK TO SAY NO.

5.    Teach your children if anyone tries to take them somewhere they should RESIST by kicking and screaming, try to run away and DRAW ATTENTION by kicking and screaming "This person is trying to take me away" or "This person is not my father/mother."

6.    Teach your children NOT TO ACCEPT A RIDE from anyone unless you have said it is ok in that instance. If anyone follows them in a vehicle they should turn around, go in the other direction, and run to a trusted adult who may help them.

7.    Teach your children that grownups should NOT ASK CHILDREN FOR DIRECTIONS, they should ask other adults.

8.    Teach your children to NEVER ACCEPT MONEY OR GIFTS from anyone unless you have told them it is ok to accept in each instance.

9.    Make sure the school has current and accurate emergency contact information on file for your children and confirm names of those authorized.

10.  Always know where your children will be. Teach your children to always CHECK FIRST before changing their plans before or after school. Teach your children to never leave school, with anyone unless they CHECK FIRST with you or another trusted adult, even if someone tells them it is an emergency.

Children should be taught to trust their feelings. They need to know that if someone makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused, they should tell a parent, guardian, or trusted adult.

Also check out their other tips at the link given:

Know the Rules...After-School Safety for Children Who Are Home Alone 

Know the Rules...Going To and From School More Safely

Know the Rules...For Child Safety in Youth Sports

DON’T FORGET CYBER RULES, BULLYING, PRIVACY

Texting, sexting, cyberbullies, Facebook bullies, Twitter messages, can all get out of control in a hurry, even at very young ages.  Have an in-depth discussion—and many more after—with your pre-teens and teens about the right way to use technology and let them do much of the talking about how they use it, what they see and hear, and any concerns that come up.  Have open-door policies and check cell phone bills, scan texts once in a while, and keep computers in a public area of the house.  Passwords should be accessible to parents.  You don’t have to look all the time.  You don’t have to be an invasive spy, but letting kids have the backup to say “my parents would see that” is often the difference between safety and trouble, even if they complain to you about it.

Don’t forget, kids sometimes create multiple accounts.

Establish rules for checking in, emergency numbers, backup contacts, and know the names of your childrens’ friends and their parents, along with how to reach them.  How many phone numbers could you rattle off in this day of programming numbers into mobile devices?

Make sure young children know their last names, parents' full names, the street and address of home, home phone numbers (work, too, if possible), and place parents work.  Be sure the school has up-to-date contact information.

PREPARE AHEAD

Pack a lunch the night before if possible and have a little lunch money.

Make sure everyone lays out clothes, school supplies packed in backpacks, and anything they’ll need for after school until pickup.  This will help the morning rush and nerves.

Have directions or school bus stop information prepared ahead of time and leave early so nobody is rushing.  Make sure all children are accounted for when you empty out the minivan at home or work—this is not a joke.  It has happened when people are in a new routine.

CMS Helpful Link Page

For parents with kids going back to school, check with this Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools back-to-school page that contains a checklist with everything you need to know before the kids go back:

Student Assignment:

Registration & Address Update

Health:

Vaccines and physicals required

Bus Stops:

Locations & times.   SOME HAVE CHANGED. 

If you have questions about transportation, call 980-343-6715

School Bell Schedule

Required Supplies

Vary by individual school

Uniforms

Supplies

 

Open House

ASEP After School Enrichment Programs

Now go, and learn, and have fun!