3 Boys in Jersey Found...Tragic

[jennifert9]

I don't know how many of you heard about this and unfortunately I can't post a link on this dinosaur...but a few days ago, 3 boys, ages 11, 6 and 5 I think? were playing in their yard when they all disappeared. There has been a massive hunt on for these boys all over the state. Tragically, one of the boy's father found the 3 of them dead in the trunk of a unused car sitting on the same property the boys went missing from.
This story hit me so hard for some reason...I fell asleep with the television on last night and woke up this morning at 6am when I heard the news through my haze. I sat bolt upright in bed, hoping for a happy ending. It just breaks my heart, these boys were probably doing what boys do, maybe playing a joke on their parents, hiding and trying to see how long it took for them to get found...or something that young boys do...It's so sad to think that they did this to themselves accidentally... I JUST heard on the news that the boys died of "accidental suffocation." As sick as it may sound, I was kind of hoping that someone put them there, that it was an evil person's fault, not the fault of the boy's themselves... I know that sounds horrible....I don't know.



I also have heard on the news something that makes me angry about this case...many of the neighbors were angry at the police for NOT searching this car's trunk. (The police said they did check the car but have not confirmed if they checked the trunk.) But, what were the parent's doing? Why did THEY not check the car? If my child was lost, I would look under every single blade of grass until I found him/her. It's a parent's responsibility to keep track of their child, not the police's job once the parent has failed... I guess it's the society of fear we live in with all these children being abducted, that being kidnapped was the first assumption made. And I'm sure many of these people they interviewed were just distraught with grief and looking for someone to blame also so it's understandable. It makes me so sad and angry at the same time though.

When I was young, my cousin's and I were playing in my uncle's new car one day. It was one of those "first" cars with a backseat that pulled down to the trunk and we were pulling it down and crawling into the trunk and back. My father caught us in there and we were in so much trouble!! After that, I was taught the lesson good and strong and well and longlasting, NEVER, ever, play in or around cars. They are not toys for child.
This story is tragic. Please, all of you with children, teach them this lesson if you have not already.

[finn's mom]

That is so sad.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Originally posted by jennifert9

When I was young, my cousin's and I were playing in my uncle's new car one day. It was one of those "first" cars with a backseat that pulled down to the trunk and we were pulling it down and crawling into the trunk and back. My father caught us in there and we were in so much trouble!! After that, I was taught the lesson good and strong and well and longlasting, NEVER, ever, play in or around cars. They are not toys for child.
This story is tragic. Please, all of you with children, teach them this lesson if you have not already.

This story bothers me too. I couldn't figure out how they could have gotten into the trunk. I was thinking they need a key. Then I remembered my car you can open the trunk by a button in the glove compartment, which I keep locked.

I keep thinking someone should have heard them yelling, if nothing else. That's why I thought someone took them and put them in it later.

With the rate of child abductions, I would have checked every car trunk in the town! Same thing with any old refrigerators. Kansas now has a law that any old refrigerator outside has to have the door removed because of several children dying by getting into them and the door shutting them in. Maybe cars should have an emergency trunk release inside them!

So sad!!!

[finn's mom]

Originally posted by momoffuzzyfaces
Maybe cars should have an emergency trunk release inside them!

I know at least one type of Mercedes does. I only remember that because at the company I used to work for, we dealt with the tele aid system inside those cars. And, once in awhile, they would park a car inside the building so that we could look at it. There was a Mercedes rep there once, and, he was going over all the crazy features on this one car (I think it was an E class). He said "does anyone want to get into the trunk?" so i did. And, he closed me in there. there was a little green (or red, i don't remember) button in there that lit up. all i had to do was push that button and it opened the trunk up. Maybe one day affordable cars will have that. Maybe they do already on some of them. Not on my escort, though. Anyway, I just know that there are some cars that do already have that feature.

[jennifert9]

MoFF, so many cars have those trunk releases inside them...mine is right next to the driver's seat on the floor and it, too, can be locked although, to be honest, I rarely had it locked in the past but I will from now on. I did hear one of the news people say that the reason the trunk was not looked into was because the owner of the car said they did not have a key to it so I guess they just assumed the kids would not be able to get inside it, obviously forgetting about the in-car trunk release. Just one horrific assumption after another... Maybe this tragedy will open people's eyes and a safety latch in the trunk will become common practice.
I do know that the Hyundai's have a safety latch in the trunk. Not as fancy as the Mercedes, just a red handle that you pull. I remember seeing it when I looked at a Sonata, don't know if all the models have it however. I can't imagine why not though, it seems it should be a standard. Perhaps I should write a letter or start a campaign myself...this tragedy needs to be prevented...
I called my father and thanked him for being such a responsible parent for teaching me this valuable lesson about children and cars. When we were young, everyone always thought my father was so strict and uptight...I know now that he was just smart, insightful and loving...

[jennifert9]

MoFF, the issue about the refrigerators was mentioned by another newscaster this morning also. We are moving tomorrow and since in Jersey, the landlord is not required to supply a fridge, we had to buy our own. In PA, the apartments come with fridges however and we have nowhere to store it. I offered it to one of the girls I work with since her current one is not frost free. I told her I would have the movers bring it out of the apartment but that her and her husband need to come get it from the yard tomorrow. We WILL be taking the doors off before it leaves this apartment. And if she can't come get it, it will go into the neighbor's garage, doorless, until garbage day.

[RICHARD]

this past week 1300 law enforcement officers made a state wide sweep in CA to break up a gang that was involved in the death of a Burbank cop......

They arrested 39 people.
The cop was killed two years ago.

So.......You think that law enforcement would put a little effort into finding three kids that were feet away from their investigative efforts.

With any luck they'll get a letter of reprimand and some paid administrative leave....

morons.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Originally posted by RICHARD

So.......You think that law enforcement would put a little effort into finding three kids that were feet away from their investigative efforts.

With any luck they'll get a letter of reprimand and some paid administrative leave....

morons.

We never hear anymore about anyone still searching for the two kids that went missing after their mother and step father {or mother's boyfriend} and one other adult, where killed a few weeks ago after a family gathering. I can't even remember what state it happened in, seems like it was Iowa but I'm not sure. It's like just because they were a poorer family, it doesn't matter.

I'd like to give the media a swift kick for dropping THAT story and still spending so much time on the missing girl in Aruba. She at least was old enough to know better than take off with 3 strangers.

[Tonya]

It is really sad. The despair on one of the dad's face broke my heart. It was a really disturbing picture.

[jennifert9]

Richard, I understand your point completely about the police prioritizing certain cases and being able to track down criminals that killed one of their own years later. However, I still disagree that the police are responsible for this tragedy in NJ. The parents shoud have been supervising these boys or at the least, looked EVERYWHERE for them, not assume that they can sit in their houses while the police find the missing children. Why did the parents not look in that car? Why did they not teach their children the dangers of playing in cars? Police are not babysitters. Yes, this was one tragic assumption made after another by both the police and the parents and mistakes were made on both sides I agree.
Here is an example of another story that did not end tragically that happened to me recently and maybe this affected my reaction to this case:

I came home from work one day and drove down my street looking for a parking spot. I saw 3 or 4 teenage boys, wearing the long, white so-called "gang" t-shirts running down the middle of the street. They moved as I passed and I thought little of it at the time. Went in the house, got Duncan for his walk and went out the door. I immediately noticed 3 police cars cruising down the street slowly. They seemed to be looking for something...I didn't live in a "bad" area but there was some crime on my street when I first moved in. I was curious as I turned the corner and saw MORE police cars. I thought maybe I should return home, was there someone "on the loose?" The police didn't say anything to me and I did have Duncan so I assumed I was safe. I saw a woman and a young boy (about 14) running down the street. I asked them if someone was missing and the woman said "yes, my son." My heart started beating faster and I got worried, I wanted to help; Duncan can find one of his toys buried under 10 feet of trash so I thought to myself, "We'll help look, Duncan can find anything given the chance." I said to her, "What happened, how can I help? How old is your son? How long has he been gone? Can we help look?" She turned to me and said, "He's 16 and a half."

I did look for the boy as we walked but I was thinking to myself,"OK 6:30 in the evening, broad daylight, teenagers walking the streets earlier, I was 16 1/2 one day and I wandered and was late for dinner and rode my bike to the mall...is he "missing?" or just not where he is supposed to be?" I turned the corner and the 6 police cars had the boy in one of their cars. The sister said to me, "oh, he's just doing things he's not supposed to be doing so my mom called the police."
That is an example of what the police are NOT there for in my opinion. This boy wasn't MISSING, he was MISBEHAVING. Not the police's responsibility unless of course, he was breaking the law and I do not know if he was or not.
Anyway, Richard, I certainly don't want to start an argument and I think you understand that...Just wanted to state my point to your counterpoint.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Originally posted by momoffuzzyfaces
We never hear anymore about anyone still searching for the two kids that went missing after their mother and step father {or mother's boyfriend} and one other adult, where killed a few weeks ago after a family gathering. I can't even remember what state it happened in, seems like it was Iowa but I'm not sure. It's like just because they were a poorer family, it doesn't matter.

I'd like to give the media a swift kick for dropping THAT story and still spending so much time on the missing girl in Aruba. She at least was old enough to know better than take off with 3 strangers.

On CNN right now: the girl, who is 8 has been found alive in a restaurant in Idaho. They have arrested a man in connection with their abduction.

No word on the brother yet. Groene is the children's last name.
I had the wrong state. I had thought Iowa but it was Idaho.
Prayers that her brother is alive and well too. He is 9.

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by momoffuzzyfaces
We never hear anymore about anyone still searching for the two kids that went missing after their mother and step father {or mother's boyfriend} and one other adult, where killed a few weeks ago after a family gathering. I can't even remember what state it happened in, seems like it was Iowa but I'm not sure. It's like just because they were a poorer family, it doesn't matter.

All the more reason to give badges to waitresses at Denny's....

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Originally posted by RICHARD
All the more reason to give badges to waitresses at Denny's....

We posted at the same time! It was a waitress in Denny's who led to them finding the girl. So far CNN is the only channel covering this. The others are still occupied with the missing girl in Aruba.