Kenneth White Abduction: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

(Handout)

A 5-year-old boy has been kidnapped from his home in New York by men wearing ski masks. The boy, Kenneth White, was snatched from his mobile home just after 1 p.m. on December 18.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. An Amber Alert Has Been Issued

(Handout)

An amber alert has been issued for Kenneth. He is described in the alert as being 3-foot-5, he weighs around 45 pounds and has brown hair. He was last seen wearing a checkered white short-sleeved shirt.

2. Kenneth Was Taken by 2 Men Dressed All in Black

One of the suspects is described in the alert as being 5-foot-10, he’s white and was weating all black, including boots, gloves and a ski mask, when Kenneth was taken. He’s believed to have an accomplice who was also wearing a ski mask. The car they were driving was a four-door pickup truck with an extended cab, according to a press release from the New York State Police.

3. A 19-Year-Old Girl Had Been Babysitting Kenneth

Kenneth was taken from Berne, New York, shown here about 30 miles west of Albany. (Google Maps)

The Albany Times-Union reports that there were two-other children and a 19-year-old girl at the home in Berne, New York, when Kenneth was taken. The 19-year-old was held down by one of the kidnappers as Kenneth was kidnapped.

4. Neither of His Parents Have Custody of Kenneth

CBS Albany reports that Kenneth’s father lives in Massachusetts and his mother lives in Amsterdam, neither parent has custody of White. NBC Albany reports that neither parent is considered a suspect in the crime.

5. The First 3 Hours Are Crucial in Any Missing Children’s Case

(Wikipedia)

According to Missingkids.com, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children assists agencies in searching for abducted children after 24 hours. The website also says that 200,000 children are abducted every year by family members, 58,000 by non-family members. On the FBI’s website, there are 462,567 missing children registered. The site says that the first three hours in a missing child case are critical as 2006 study indicated that 76 percent of kidnapped children are dead within the first three hours.