Northeast News
October 2, 2013

Three attempted abductions have occurred over the past several days near Northeast High School.

“We’re seeing a trend,” said Andre Riley, Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) manager of public relations. “You can’t risk something bad happening to the students, so we definitely want to get the word out.”

All of the attempted abductions involved female students, he said. According to witnesses, the first incident involved a white van and two black males. The female student was injured, requiring a trip to the hospital. During the second attempted abduction, a female student suffered minor injuries and her cell phone was stolen. Riley said he didn’t have details regarding the third incident.

KCPS is working with its East Patrol Zone school resource officers to arrange for additional patrolling around the school and is asking the truancy officers to drive through surrounding neighborhoods to serve as a visible deterrent. In addition, KCPS is sending home fliers and letters, posting on social media and making automated phone calls to parents to make them aware of the attempted abductions.

KCPS is asking the public to be vigilant and keep their eyes open for suspicious activity.

“We will protect our kids. We will take every step we can to protect them,” he said. “One of those is making sure the community is aware, everyone’s eyes are wide open and they’re paying attention. When people are paying attention, those kids are safer.”