I was walking in a pocket park nearby, there's a walking trail, some swings, those little horsey riding things, etc. I was the only one there walking the trail while on the phone with my bestie. A silver KIA with California personal plates (we're in Texas) pulls up, and a heavy-set white guy, mid-60s, gets out of the car and is holding the hand of a clearly Hispanic boy. They make their way across the park and sit on a bench swing. I thought it was strange he was making the little boy (about 4 or 5) sit down on a bench swing in a park and not let him run around and play. I continued walking the circular trail and watching them when I'd get near the bench swing. The little boy starts crying and inching away from the man on the bench and the man kept looking down the back of the kid's shirt, like checking on a sore or something. Then, the man was on his phone, and the little boy was on a handheld game system. Each time I would get to their section of the trail I'd try to listen to them and at one point I heard the man say, "Are you happy with that?" I assume he meant the game. It was very overcast and the man was wearing blue aviator sunglasses and had an earpiece in his left ear. At one point the man tried to lift the boy's chin to have him look at him and the boy was resisting and leaning away from him.
A young couple, in their 30s, arrive with 2 big dogs and start to walk the trail. They made one lap around that trail and were suddenly leaving, getting back into their suburban. These were big dogs, and you're gonna let them run a few yards and pack it in? That's when the man gets up and takes the hand of the little boy and they walk back toward the KIA. The man opens the hatchback and picks the boy up and puts him in the hatchback, closes it, and then gets in the drivers seat. What the hell? Who puts a kid in the hatchback? They exit the park and drive off in the same direction the couple with the dogs went. The whole time they were at the park they were seated on the bench swing. I have boys, there's no way I could have taken them to a park and made them sit down the whole time and then pitched them in the back of my hatchback and driven off. And to add a whole other weird vibe, the start of the personal plate? COMET I can't run Cali plates so I was bummed it wasn't a Texas plate. Damnit, I wish I'd gotten the Suburban plates, it just occurred to me that they were just as suss.
I don't want to be one of those who sees child trafficking under every rock, but this was WEIRD. I wouldn't even know who to tell about this. It made me on edge though and I was memorizing everything I could. The little boy had on an oversized white t-shirt that said, "It's ok to be different," and gray sweatpants. Everything the man had on was blue: blue jeans, a short-sleeved blue shirt, a blue all-weather type vest, blue aviator shades, and blue topsiders.
So either Grampa had the weirdest park outing with his grandson ("Did you have fun at the park? Yeah we sat on a bench") or something nefarious was going on. The question is have I been at this so long that I'm seeing the boogeyman around every corner? Honestly I'd rather be wrong and look stupid.
Id call yhe cops for the kid being in the hatch of the hatchback. If something fishy is going on they will find it
Your natural instincts were developed and passed down from your long line of ancestors over hundreds or thousands of years. They are valid. You don't have to understand why you feel it, just that you do. It is alerting you. Pay attention.
Next time, take a photo of the car, its plates, the man, the boy, the couple with the dogs, their vehicle info. We've all read the news articles describing alert waitresses, flight attendants, people getting gas at the station, cashiers at the mini-mart who saw something and said something, ultimately rescuing kidnapped or abducted persons.
The little boy was telling you everything you needed to know. Next time, follow your gut.
Very good comment !
I stumbled upon a site that actually let me run the plate, then it gave me the VIN. So I bought a report for that VIN on Carfax. This man is the 3rd owner of a 2012 KIA Sorento LX that actually originated here in Tx. Looks like the 2nd owner took it to Cali and sold it to this third owner, who then brought it to Texas. He got 3 oil changes 2 months apart almost to the day. That's weird. Who gets their oil changed every 2 months almost to the day?
I looked up all active Amber alerts and none match this kid. Of course we all know that doesn't mean anything, sadly there are monsters in our families under our noses. But this kid looked nothing like the man.
You get your oil changed every 2 months if you're doing a lot of miles... maybe being a mule?
The Texas-California-Texas ownership thing is pretty suspect too. 3 owners in 12 years, spread 2+ sates apart. Supports the mule theory.
Also, how many people put personalized license plates on a 12 yr. old Kia?
Now that you have the man's name, plate number and description, you should file a police report. The little boy may not be on the missing persons list because he may be a trafficked child from south of the border.
You are almost there. Make that call! Good luck. Report back what the police say!
Unfortunately I don't have the man's name. That's one thing CarFax doesn't provide, just that he bought it in 2018 in Santa Ana, CA
OK, well the car plate info will allow the police to take it from there. Please give the police the details you described here.
I found a form online while looking for active amber alerts where I can fill out a report
Great!
Next time?
If I were to go with the paranoid side, I would say it sounded like a "showing" for the couple. Are they interested kind of thing.
If it was just normal assumptions, I would think that weird uncle,/grandpa had the kid because of family emergency type of thing and didn't really know what to do with him and was in no shape to chase after him. So, was like.. ok.. we'll go to the park, but you're staying right here. Couple could just be late for reservations or on a road trip or the cheating dogwalkers..lol.
It does sound weird, but people Are weird.
I personally when seeing these kind of situations always go up and start a conversation . I’m pretty pushy , I’ll even sit and strike up conversation with the child , children . I always act as if I’m friendly just engaging conversation .. “well it’s so nice that you bring your child kids outside , so many kids sit in ftom of the TV “. I stay until I’m sure the situation is ok . I’ve never as of yet found it to be a child in danger .. well maybe with a not so happy or loving parent , but not in danger as if with a stranger . This situation sounded even weirder then the ones I walk up too . We have to always remember to not allow our fear of being intrusive stop us from saving a child . You never know, perhaps God is training you at this point moving forward to never allow the situation to pass you by again, perhaps you just may be saving a child in the future , I pray the spirit of boldness come upon you and I know you’re a warrior in faith, I believe God just gave you a huge prompting to always era on the side of caution when a child is involved . God bless you friend . Gods children are not for sale , save the children !!!
This sounds right.
That whole story is creepy as heck.
Now you are gonna drive yourself nuts wondering if you let the kid get hurt by not intervening.
Is there a licence plate you can report and tell the local police your story?
I commented it was Amber wind who had the experience !
What's strange is that I am definitely that person that will talk to anyone. I told my friend on the phone that I was going to walk up to the kid on my next pass and just act like a mom figure who's been there done that & ask him why he's crying & pretend to commisserate with the man. But at the next pass he wasn't crying anymore and something stopped me. The whole time I was walking though I was scanning the ground for anything at all I could pick up to use as a weapon in a pinch. I had a fanny pack on but didn't have my gun. I bet I don't make that mistake again.
Put him the back through the hatch? A KIA Sorento? I had one of those. Seats face front. And even if he had the back seats down, nobody sits their child in the back like that and not in the seat. That is not normal behavior. The child could be one of those freshly trafficked through the border.
Definitely weird. I'm glad you got the plate #. Please call the hotline for missing and exploited children. If you're wrong, than it's a reason to celebrate.
It’s shady as f***. Call sheriff or police and report it. Tell them everything you stated here.
Also, child endangerment, kid should have been in a booster seat. Shady as f***.
I am super aware in rest areas, I've asked kids before if they're okay or need help. What's your gut tell you? Listen to that, forget looking stupid, you're an anon, that's what we do.
An anon posted this, h/t but I don't remember who it was, sorry my h/t fren. https://x.com/Thekeksociety/status/1750962308174782794?s=20
I remember seeing this!
Every parent should teach their children the HELP sign, with the hands. Start with straight fingers and the thumb out, then close the thumb and close all four fingers over the thumb. Repeat.
See something, say something.
Always follow Q's rule, 'see something say something'.
You should have called the cops, and let them sort it out.
Amber, Did you call the cops? From your description of what you saw, my instincts are on high alert. None of this seems right.
Maybe it's nothing, maybe the kid is being trafficked. If it were your kid, what would you want someone to do?
If it is really just a creepy/awkward grandpa/uncle, ultimately they would be glad someone is looking out for the kid.
I filled out a detailed police report with everything I said here and attached 3 photos I took.
Awesome!!!
I have found that a person never regrets speaking up and taking action. They regret the times that they let the opportunity pass.
Hopefully, there is an innocent explanation for the creepy crap you saw. 🙂
Looking down the kid's shirt? Maybe to see if bruises are still visible?
Uh, see something say something! Hatchback? Call the cops.
I did a detailed police report. Detailed enough to impress the most karen of all the karens. And like I said, I'd rather be wrong and look stupid than be right and too late.
Wonderful. Glad to hear it. Please report back if you can if you learn more.
You really can't know for sure since it was a brief encounter that's over already.
congratulations, you just let that child get trafficked
Congratulations on your all-seeing eye. Must be nice to sit behind your puter screen & know so much about absolutely nothing.