Attempted abduction in West County has parents on high alert
Manchester police are investigating an attempted child abduction in the area in which a 12-year-old boy was offered a free Ipod to enter a stranger’s car.
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon in the neighborhood near Highway 141 and Burgundy, and a prior incident involving a slow-moving car approaching a child in the same general area had been reported a few days earlier, police say.
According to the report, two white males in a black, two-door Acura approached a 12-year-old boy.
The boy ran home. In the prior report, the description of the vehicle and alleged perpetrators are different.
Manchester and Ballwin police departments have increased patrols in the area and they have informed Parkway School District’s security group.
Manchester Det. Ed Skaggs said that parents need to keep an extra watch on their kids.
“If you see a suspicious car in the neighborhood, call us in and let us check it out,” he said. If a car you don’t recognize is parked idly for a time, call the police. ”Just say calm and be watchful.”
While police routinely get calls about lost motorists approaching children, to have a stranger attempt to entice is a child with a gift if “rare,” Skaggs said. Anyone with tips is encouraged to call the police.
“We’re investigating it pretty hard,” he said.
Aisha covered education and breaking news for nearly ten years before joining the Lifestyle staff where she writes a "Dirty Laundry" parenting column. She is the home and family editor and wastes too much time on Facebook and political blogs. 
We received a neighborhood alert in Webster Groves regarding a white male and female following some teenage girls around, asking (I kid you not) if they wanted candy.
We’ve had a few other issues over the last couple of years where young kids have been approached by males in cars and vans…yet our kids have remained safe. However, right before Devlin was caught, my son was in the yard and was approached by a guy that appeared to look like Devlin, driving a late model “white car”. After further questioning of our son, it didn’t appear to be Devlin…but the events were unnerving after Devlin was caught.
Bottom line, keep talking to your kids and telling them what to do. Our son told the guy he wasn’t getting near the car and ran into the house.
To EVERYONE: BE SUSPICIOUS of EVERYONE driving slowly in their cars through your neighborhood.