When I was ten years old, I pretty much had the run of the neighborhood. I could range out three or four blocks in any direction, up to the store that was a few blocks away.
My school was about 15 blocks away, and I walked it every day from grade 3 on - unsupervised. I was only one of probably fifty kids I saw on the sidewalk each day along the route.
I drive my six year old daughter to school each day, and my wife picks her up. Along the way, we see lots of kids walking to her school, and it only goes up to grade six.
I don’t think the parents are responsible one bit. Letting ten year olds walk around the neighborhood unsupervised is absolutely normal here in Canada at least.
I was allowed to walk by myself to the public library - some twenty blocks away! - from the time I was nine.
Putting my own annectodal experience asside (because it was more than 15 years ago and times may have changed)…
Today: Out here in Ottawa, Canada, four hours away from Toronto, if a child in grade one through grade 3 lives within 1km of the school, they have to walk to school - no bus service. They often walk with friends or siblings, but they still have to walk. If they are grade 4 through 6 and live within 1.5km of the school, they also have to walk - no bus service. Those kids are ages 9 through 12. Some parents drive them to and fro. Others can’t.
I don’t think Holly’s parents were being irresponsible. I think something really sad happened - could have happened to anyone’s child… no matter how hard they were “street proofed”… no matter if you were standing 6ft away.
Holly’s parents let her walk her younger friend home a rather short distance - 15 minute walk. According to the reports that came out when she disappeared, Holly was over 5ft tall and close to 100# if I recall correctly. That’s almost the same height as a short adult (like me) - the distance she covered was less than the distance many children have to walk to get to school.
… Hindsight is 20/20. Had the parents known over 200 sexual predators lived in the area, they may not have let her walk her friend alone. Then again, who knows, she has probably done it hundreds of time before… why would this time have been any different?
Sad story indeed…