Where is Lindsey Baum? Time is the enemy.

It is a scary statistic that almost half of the children abducted by a stranger are killed and of those who are not killed, 4% are never returned home.  Almost all of these children are murdered in the first 48 hours.  Time is a crucial enemy in these cases.

On Friday, June 26^th 2009, 10 year old Lindsey Baum was walking home from her friend’s house in McCleary, Wash., a half a mile or 10 minute walk to her home at about 9:30 pm when she suddenly vanished without a trace.   She had initially gone over to her friend’s house with her 12 year old brother and her friend who lived at the home to ask permission for her friend to return to the Baum house for a sleep over.  On their walk over, Lindsey and her brother got into an argument about his bicycle.  An adult and neighbor witnessed the fight and in order to end it, sent Lindsey's brother back home, allowing the two 10 year old girls to continue their walk.  Once at the friend's house Lindsey was told that her friend was not allowed to walk back with her and sleep over her house.  The parents of that child then instructed Lindsey to head home before it got too dark.  A neighbor returning from work, saw Lindsey on her way back home at about 9:30 pm, but by 10:00 pm, Lindsey's mother began to worry.

Lindsey's mother then called her daughter’s cell phone only to hear it ringing in the home.

She called Lindsey's friend's home only to find out her daughter had left over a half hour before. Lindsey's mother went searching for her daughter and by 10:50 pm the police were called in.

Law enforcement moved in quickly and investigated the registered sex offenders in the neighborhood and reviewed surveillance footage from businesses along her route home.   It was like she simply just vanished. It has been over a week and no sign of Lindsey Baum.

It has come to my attention that this 10 year old girl also had a myspace page and listed herself as 99 years old, interested in dating, serious relationships and friendships.  Some of her posts are disturbing in that in May she says she has been having bad dreams and that she is afraid something bad is going to happen.  Her parents were currently going through a divorce and she writes that she is glad her brother is locked up in juvee.  Her posts are also made at 4am and 6am, it is disturbing that she is online so late at 10 years old.

From her myspace:

Banner - disturbed
Getting a lot of nightmares lately
Bad feeling
something bads gonna happen

Lindsey had been swimming with friends earlier in the day and was also seen at a local video store.  I keep coming back to the small window between the time the neighbor saw her at about 9:30 pm and when her mother traced her steps at 10:00 pm.  For this to be a stranger abduction means that the perpetrator would have had to come across Lindsey by chance between 9:30 and 10:00 pm and taken her without anyone seeing it happen or having it picked up on any surveillance in the area.  Or even more terrible, could this person have been following her all day? Maybe saw her at the pool? Video store?  Was this a neighbor who called her into their home under false pretenses?

Law enforcement has checked in almost every home and car.  Are they onto the same theory?  That she may still be in the neighborhood, held against her will?

I really hope this child is found soon, but time is not on her side should this be a stranger abduction.  

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
McCleary Police Department (Washington) 1-360-533-8765