FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NCMEC (VA)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN ASKS MEDIA FOR CORRECTION January 29, 2006 - Alexandria, VA - Recent news reports have stated that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) was among the organizations contacted by Georgia resident Tracie Dean. This was not true. NCMEC was not among the organizations Ms. Dean contacted. Ms. Dean confirmed this on Saturday, January 28, 2006 when she contacted NCMEC. She indicated she had reviewed her telephone records and had made a mistake. She stated she had not contacted NCMEC and apologized for the mistake. NCMEC is requesting that the news media correct this information in all future reports. NCMEC maintains a 24-hour hotline and all calls are recorded. After the story broke, all calls to the hotline during that timeframe were reviewed and no call from Ms. Dean was found. “We take our work very seriously. The public’s confidence and trust in us is important to our success in helping missing and sexually exploited children,” said Ernie Allen, NCMEC’s President and CEO. “It is important that people not be left with the wrong impression that we were unresponsive to a call to our hotline. It is important that continuing coverage of this story include corrected information.” Ms. Dean is the Georgia resident who earlier this month had a chance meeting with a 3-year old girl in an Alabama convenience store and believed the girl was in trouble. Her efforts are credited with leading to the arrest of the apparent guardians of the child for alleged sex crimes and abuse against the girl as well as a boy who was living with the couple. “We applaud Ms. Dean’s unrelenting determination to protect the welfare of this child. We need more people like Ms. Dean in this country who will trust their gut instincts and get involved with helping another person who may be in danger,” said Allen. “If they see something they think isn’t right, they should call law enforcement first and then notify us.” As this case moves forward, NCMEC is currently assisting the FBI on gathering additional information on the alleged suspects to determine if other victims may have been harmed. Since 1984, the mission of NCMEC has been to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children; and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them. To date, we have received more than 2 million calls for assistance and assisted law enforcement with more than 117,000 cases which has resulted in the recovery of more than 99,500 missing children. About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC’s congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 350,000 leads. For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com. Communications Department 703.837.6111 Media Line