I was thinking about the *Taken *movie series with Liam Neeson recently and wondering how it would apply to parents in real life (only loosely applying, not actually everything the way it happened in the movies):
Suppose that your son or daughter has been kidnapped and you know for a fact that all of the authorities who would be in a position to do anything about it are either 1) hopelessly incompetent or 2) won’t lift a finger to help. What would you do?
I’m certain all but an extremely small number of wealthy people would be absolutely shit out of luck. If you are not wealthy to begin with, you can go straight to the last option below.
Once the authorities are stymied, your choices are basically: pay the ransom if you can and hope your child is returned (high cost, probably 50/50 chance of success), hire mercenaries (very high cost, low probability of success), or start planning a funeral.
Since I don’t have a unique skill set, and I don’t have a lot of money, and without competent police help, about the only option I have it to pretend I don’t understand/can’t hear the ransom call. “Hello? Hello! No one is there.” and hang up until they get bored or frustrated and give me my daughter back.
Find a romantically handsome detective, kicked off the police force for bending all the rules, a gruff but lovable older police officer who is too old for this shit, a quirky Asian character who can hack their security system, a wise-cracking Latina, a large stash of sports cars, automatic weapons, and surveillance equipment, dress them all up in black, and stage an elaborate assault on the abandoned apartment building where my daughter is being held by the sinister older head of the criminal organization who speaks with a British accent and used to be in MI-6.
Many staged explosions, dead civilians, dramatic speeches, and at least one semi-nude love scene later, improvise a grappling hook from dog collars, garden hose, and an electric can opener and rappel onto the getaway plane where the evil guy is attempting to escape to Kazakhstan. Confront him as the plane loses cabin pressure from a stray bullet, strangle him with his own shoe laces, and force the pilot to crash land on a convenient circus tent.
Then wake up next to Susanne Pleschette and find it was all a dream.
Regards,
Shodan
In the spirit of Shodan’s answer, I note that Hitchcock tells us the mother of a kidnapped child could either:
In the movie, there was no ransom request. The daughter and her friend were being taken to be put into human trafficking and sex slave business.
The abductors just happen to pick up the phone that his daughter had while she was talking to her father, and they spoke to him. Not about a ransom.
On the Bright Side, at least they didn’t have to pay those ridiculous, exorbitant prices for U2 tickets.
I think a lot depends on 1) where (what country) the abduction takes place in and 2) how much that country cares about how the bad publicity might affect them.
Remember Natalee Holloway (disappeared in Aruba) ?
Normal parents would likely go to the police. Who would forward them to someone in the state department. Who would then contact the authorities in the country where the gal was last seen. And then… ?
If the country (powers that be) are really concerned about how the publicity might adversely affect them, they might assign resources to it. If not, I think it will just be added to the “missing persons” case files.
At that point the parents could try to apply pressure for action by going to the media, and getting the word (and pictures) out. Maybe try to gain sympathy for people to ask their congressman to inquire.
My Daughter? Wait until they ask for return instructions with a heartfelt note of apology - then I charge them to take her.
The problem with the Taken films, and similar, is that no run of the mill person can ID who the Kidnappers are. Not even a retired Fed, etc.
I mean, usually the FBI, with all their resources - has problems.
Being me, I’d probably contact certain people I know from…earlier times…and die heroically in a bungled attempt to get my child back. Sorry theoretical child of mine. I ain’t no Senator’s son.
I have some people I could call. No promises it would work, but they would certainly leave a mark.
Hire a Man On Fire, who will eventually find out that I was the one who … waitaminute, this isn’t working.
I’ve got some cousins with the weapons, equipment and know-how to do some real mayhem.
I would be the computer geek doing online stuff to find useful info.
I’d send SamuelA a PM asking where all the youngest and hottest kidnapped sex slaves get trafficked to, and then go get her.
About the only thing you could do is make a lot of phone calls to the State Department and news agencies and prayer just in case Neither smuggling nor acquiring a gun when you got to France would be easy. Finding the bad guys responsible would be more difficult. Taking on an entire criminal organization of Albanian slavers in Paris would be the most difficult.
Moderator Warning
You have been around here more than long enough to know not to say something like this outside of the Pit.
This is an official warning for insults/attacking another user outside of the Pit.