Both male and female children are equally likely to be abducted. Children tend to be taken from the home. They are less likely to be taken from another residence or from a school yard. Most searching parents report the abduction of the child to the police on the day it occurred. There is, however a large proportion of searching parents who delay in reporting the incident.
Communication usually occurs between the searching parent and the abductor.
The majority of parental abductions are short-term and resolved within seven days. Various modes of transportation are used to move the child. Children tend to be taken during weekends or summer or winter holidays. The parent abducting the child tends not to use physical force. Accomplices are used in less than half the cases, they are usually family members or current partners.