BREAKING NEWS

February 5, 2015 – Tampa, FL

Don Wood - Founder Child Watch of North America 

Missing 16 Year Old Girl Reunited with Her Family

Destanee Villarini was lured away from the home she shared with her father and sister in Temple Terrace by a 26 year old man. The man had befriended her over a period of time and eventually convinced Destanee to sneak out and hide out with him. Destanee’s father called the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department and Child Watch of North America to help find his daughter.

Don Wood of Child Watch of North America said, “The Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department did a great job in helping track down the abductor and rescue Destanee. This was an example of how it needs to be done in every case”.

Destanee is staying with family friends while she begins her healing process. “It will take some time for her to understand that she was a victim here” said Don Wood of Child Watch. “It is not uncommon for young girls who have been manipulated by an older man to think they were willing participants. This is part of the abductors brain washing and young girls are vulnerable to the street smart con men that prey on these young girls.”

Destanee’s father Raoul Villarini was appreciative of all the help he received from the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department and Child Watch of North America. “I can’t begin to express my gratitude for the help they provided and continue to provide through the ordeal my family has endured.”

Child Watch of North America is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the prevention and recovery of missing, abused, and exploited children. Child Watch has always believed that education is an essential element in keeping our children safe. Providing awareness and safety education to children, teens, pre-teens, and parents is the foundation for our goal to prevent abductions and victimization.

For more information about Child Watch of North America visit www.childwatch.org.

Child Watch is a program of the Crisis Relief Network www.crisisreliefnetwork.org. 

GREENFIELD — A boy abducted by his mother during a custody battle 18 years ago has been reunited with the Greenfield family that never stopped hoping he would return. He isn’t a boy anymore, of course. Nathan Slinkard was 5 years old when his mother took him, his brother and sister and disappeared. Today, he is 23. Nathan returned to the United States last week from Mexico, where law enforcement long suspected Trena Slinkard had taken her three children when she violated a court visitation order in 1995.

Nathan’s father, Steven Slinkard, met him at Indianapolis International Airport last Wednesday after several days of working with U.S. authorities in Mexico and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to assure Nathan’s safe passage back to the United States.

Since Nathan’s return, law enforcement officers have been walking a fine line between honoring the newly reunited family’s request for privacy and seeking out information to break open a cold case that has confounded investigators for almost two decades.

It’s a delicate balance. Nathan’s brother, Andrew; and sister, Sydney, are still in Mexico. Law enforcement officials hope a smooth transition home for Nathan will show his siblings that they, too, are welcome to come back. Today, Andrew is 25. Sydney is 21.

AMBER Alert Success Stories

As of Jan. 3, 2014 AMBER Alerts have helped rescue and safely return 679 children. Read some of the most recent success stories.

July 1, 2013 - Ohio

An 8-year-old boy went missing when his non-custodial father did not bring him home as planned. Because of the abductor's history, law enforcement was concerned for the safety of the child and an AMBER Alert was activated. A group of friends became aware of the AMBER Alert when they all received Wireless Emergency Alerts on their cell phones. A few hours later, the same group was at a diner when one of the friends spotted the vehicle. He and one of the other individuals followed the vehicle and called 911. Law enforcement located the vehicle, the abductor was arrested and the child was safely rescued.

June 4, 2013 - Iowa

An AMBER Alert was issued when a 4-year-old boy and his 1-month-old brother were abducted by their non-custodial mother from a relative's home. The abductor was believed to be under the influence of drugs. A driver heard the AMBER Alert, recognized the vehicle and called 911. Law enforcement was able to locate and stop the vehicle. The abductor was taken into custody and the children were rescued unharmed.

Events

“Working together to help keep our children safe”

Child Watch started our KIDGUARD Photo ID card event program to help prevent abductions by educating parents and children through our safety rules. All Child Watch events are free to families. To date, Child Watch has provided millions of free ID cards and fingerprints. Child Watch works with corporate sponsors to host and sponsor events at their store locations or off-site events. If you, or your company, would like to sponsor a Child Watch of North America KIDGUARD event please contact our VP of Marketing Brandon Wood for more information. His e-mail address is brandon@childwatch.org. Or, call him at 1-888-ChildWatch.

Some past & current event sponsors
Shell stations, Texaco stations, Toys R Us stores, Staples stores, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Angels, Long Beach Grand Prix, PGA Houston Open, Nascar races, Indy car races, Walmart stores, K-Mart stores, Target stores, NSYNC concerts, O-Town concerts – hundreds of fairs and festivals with AT&T.