The latest in the news in the case of
Lisa Iriwn, the one year old who was reported missing on October 4 from Kansas City, Missouri, is, sadly, not that she has been found; but that another child keeps getting
mistaken for her. And according to the little girl's parents, the mistake makers have been aggressive and creepy about it, too, putting their hands on the baby in public and harassing the parents. I will not put a picture of this child on my blog for two reasons, first, she is not Lisa Irwin, who is still missing; second, she does not need that kind of publicity. Please take my word for it when I say that the pictures I have seen of this child do not bear enough of a resemblence to Lisa to justify the harassment through which her parents have gone. Slimmer face, more teeth. At least five times, and hopefully not counting, this child's parents have had to prove their relationship with their daughter to law enforcement. If I were them, I would dress my daughter in boy's clothing for the next month or two!
I have a doppelganger of a missing child in my brood, too. Last summer, while traveling to the East Coast with all six of my children, someone in a Walmart in Indiana looked briefly at the pictures of missing children on the wall, and then at one of my sons. "He looks just like this picture of Kyron Horman!", the woman said. That was the first I had ever heard of
Kyron Horman, it was about five weeks after he went missing from Skyline Elementary in Portland, Oregon. Several hundred miles later, in West Virginia, someone actually phoned in a "Kyron sighting"! That was interesting. I had never had one of my children mistaken for someone who is missing before, but since my son was old enough to talk, it was not a problem. No one reached out and grabbed him, either. If anyone had, I am not sure what I would have done. As it sits, I am still encouraged that there are people who cared enough about finding Kyron Horman to look for him in the first place. Even so, I packed a copy of my son's birth certificate in my suitcase before my next cross country trip, during the winter break last year.
About these missing child "sightings", allow me to advise this: if you really think you are looking at a missing child who is being sought by local law enforcement and the FBI, it is best to just call them. Unless the kidnapping is a familial kidnapping or custodial interference, none of us can truly understand what goes on in the minds of persons who would steal or harm children. Aggitating such a person is unwise for many reasons. In a store, letting security know, so that they can hone in on the image of the child with surveillance camaras and call the local police is a much better idea. Also, there is certainly nothing wrong with copying down a liscence plate number for the police. But it is best not to seek out a confrontation with someone you suspect has committed a very serious crime.
One day, perhaps the entire country will make picture ID's for children available. Then, I will not need to take my son's birth certificate with me when I travel. A picture ID is probably the only immediate relief the family of Lisa Irwin's doppelganger is likely to obtain. Picture ID's for children in Lisa Irwin's age group would need to be updated frequently, as children grow and change quickly. When I did a search on the subject earlier today, I was disappointed, as only a handful of states even offer them. Until we wake up to the need for identification for children, it looks like we are stuck with passports.
Lisa Irwin, who is still missing and has been missing since October 3, 2011. Where could this baby be?
Kyron Horman, who has been missing for over eighteen months. Every day, I am disappointed when I do not see any news of his return home. It is well past time for this.
