For Immediate Release


Contacts:
Janette Fennell,  484-278-4641, cell 415-336-9279, or  Janette@KidsAndCars.org   
Amber Andreasen, 913-205-6973, 913-732-2792, or Amber@KidsAndCars.org 


KidsAndCars.org praises news station KSHB for locating abducted toddler abandoned in stolen car 
Due to the quick thinking news crew, the little girl is alive

Photo Courtesy of KSHB 41 Action News

Kansas City, KS - When a child is left alone in a vehicle, things can go wrong very quickly. Already this year, hundreds of children nationwide have been left alone in cars that were taken during a car theft according to KidsAndCars.org, the national non-profit organization dedicated to keeping children safe in and around motor vehicles.
 
KidsAndCars.org wants to praise the fast action and life-saving efforts of the NBC television news station KSHB, an affiliate of CNN. This shows the importance of how our media can benefit communities in such a positive way. It was only when their helicopter pilot and photographer were filming that the young girl was spotted in the back of the now-abandoned car.
 
The crime took place in the middle of the Wednesday evening rush hour at a gas station in Kansas City, KS.

Responding to the initial report of a child abduction and stolen vehicle, the KSHB SkyTracker helicopter went to Leavenworth County to track down a cell phone ping from one of the parents' phones that had been left in the vehicle. SkyTracker pilot Captain Gregg Bourdon and photographer James Moore noticed an abandoned vehicle matching the description of the car and immediately contacted the 41 Action News Assignment Editor Steve Kaut who then alerted law enforcement. Thanks to the quick action from the 41 Action News team this little girl was found unharmed and returned safely to her family.
 
Children should NEVER be left alone inside a vehicle. There are far too many devastating tragedies of children being seriously injured or killed when left alone in a vehicle. The worst thing any parent or caregiver can do is to think that something like this would never happen to them.
 
Besides being abducted during a car theft, children are injured by power windows, knock cars into gear, suffer from heatstroke, start car fires, etc. To learn  more about these dangers and how to prevent them, please visit our website.
 
 
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About KidsAndCars.org :  Founded in 1996, KidsAndCars.org is the only national nonprofit child safety organization dedicated solely to preventing injuries and deaths of children in and around vehicles. KidAndCars.org promotes awareness among parents, caregivers and the general public about the dangers to children, including backover and frontover incidents, and heat stroke from being unknowingly left in a vehicle. The organization works to prevent tragedies through data collection, education and public awareness, policy change and survivor advocacy. 
 

KidsAndCars.org | www.kidsandcars.org
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