FEATURES
JIMMY RYCE: Gone but not forgotten
by Maggie Paul
This is the question that has been taunting both Don and Claudine
Ryce, parents of the late Jimmy Ryce. Their nine-year-old son
was abducted September 11, 1995 by a predator; he was sodomized
and killed. From the moment they realized their child was missing,
they were determined to take the steps necessary to prevent others
from experiencing such heartache. We know from the newspapers
that our case if only one of many. They discovered present legislation
does not do enough for the health and safety of our children,
and now the Ryce family is on a world-wide mission to educate
the general public.
"Jimmy was the best and we lost him because there was
no system in place to protect him. Listen to our children. They
are demanding nothing more than their inalienable rights. Jimmy
Ryce will change all that...you wait and see."
A non-profit organization, The Jimmy Ryce Center for Victims of
Predatory Abduction, Inc., wants to remind society of the constant
dangers of predators. Parents should know how to protect their
children. They believe children should receive a training program
during the first five weeks of school. This should be
done every year. Children should be taught proper behavior
if approached by a predator. They should know his tricks so that
they will be keenly aware of them.
They are attempting to convince every school and state education
commissioner in America to initiate the program. They are currently
producing interactive games and songs to teach children to recognize
the lures predators use, and provide the children with the safest
response in each situation. Their web site is located at
http://jimmyasap.org
(Join In the Manhunt for Missing
Youth and Aid in Solving Abductions
by Predators) and they would like to continue in partnership
with The International Center for the Search and Recovery of Missing
Children, Inc. to improve the site. They post pictures of children
who are in mortal peril, and by looking at these pictures every
day, you may be able to recognize a kidnapped child.
Don and Claudine believe the proper initial response when a
child is reported missing should include bringing in a team of
bloodhounds. Claudine remembers, "there was not one bloodhound
in the tri-county South Florida area." Bloodhounds have 60
times the scent power of German shepherds, the dogs most commonly
used.
We must standardize categories to identify missing children.
These should be based on the imminent peril of the child, as
well as the search procedures in place to locate the child.
It is essential that every law enforcement department in America
be kept advised of the progress made. It is critical to the
child's survival to decide immediately if the abduction should
be treated as predatory. The Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training
Act provides funds to train officers to investigate all types
of abductions. They also want to ensure that Congress will annually
fund the Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training Act.
"We got half of a million signatures, one by one, because
the people in South Florida agreed with us that something should
be done. We broke the White House fax machine, and finally, in
January, got in to see President Clinton and get the bill signed."
Autopsies of children found dead usually reveal that the child
was killed within 24-48 hours after being kidnapped. "If
they are going to keep the child alive," Claudine tells us,
"the predators will probably take them out of the state."
Therefore, it is very important that each community have a system
for gathering together as many people as possible, in less than
one hour, to search for a missing child.
Most of South Florida remembers the reward notice of Jimmy Ryce
that was posted after his disappearance. Don and Claudine discovered
that the national media would not cover the kidnapping case.
Television stations was their only outlet. Claudine recalls,
"this is one time the media proved it could be your friend;
if it hadn't been for all the coverage we received, Jimmy's body
may never have been found. We used all our talents to keep that
story alive, and when that book bag was found, nobody would have
recognized the name. We needed the community; we needed the media,
and we could never thank them enough."
The actual posting of the reward notice was no easy task. The
Ryce's found that at the time of Jimmy's disappearance, no posters
were allowed in state-owned buildings. "I couldn't believe
that they allowed the 10 most wanted criminals' pictures in post
offices and not the 10 most endangered children." With that
in mind, the Ryce's appealed to Florida Governor Chiles. He issued
an order that now allows posters of children abducted to be placed
in state toll booths, state parks, recreational areas and state
buildings. But the Ryce's haven't forgotten the national media
-- they all still trying to convince all networks to run JIMMY
ASAP alerts as soon as a child is reported missing.
With all this to do, the founders of The Jimmy Ryce Center have
their hands full. Yet, they want to counsel and comfort other
parents and families who may be experiencing a similar tragedy.
"The parents have to call us to find out ways to get their
kid back -- you don't get your kid back by sitting on the couch
waiting -- you've got to have the strength. We could help them
with a plan, but the strength they have to call on comes from
the love for their child." The toll free 1-800-JIM-RYCE is
in place 24 hours a day. This will not only help the Ryce's find
out how many children are abducted each year and how many are
recovered alive. It is absolutely essential that additional
funds be allocated . These are needed for additional resources
to reduce the number of successful abductions and increase the
number of children recovered alive. Claudine is creating an important
federally-regulated process whereby the D.N.A. of each child is
to be placed on the birth certificate. This D.N.A sample would
serve as another tool in verifying the identity of the child.
Even though it hurts and I miss Jimmy now, it hurt more when
I didn't know. I didn't know if they were still hurting him
everyday. People have the right to know their loved ones are no
longer suffering."
"Evil is ultimately swallowed up by the victory of goodness...by
God's promise of 'the sure and certain hope of the resurrection
to eternal life.' Be clear about one thing: God did not take Jimmy
from us, his abductor did that. What God has done is to receive
Jimmy into his loving arms, there to hold him to his bosom where
he is safe forevermore."
The experiences of the Ryce family throughout this ordeal have
been of the most tragic proportions, yet Claudine has found the
strength to help others. But how was the family able to find that
strength? "It was the love I had for my son. I know now
much more about love. There is no greater grief than to lose
a child. If God permitted his son to go through the agony Jimmy
endured, God must love us even more than I love Jimmy. Jimmy
may have saved my soul -- I don't know if I'll ever be good enough,
but I sure hope I am because I want to be with him. I don't mind
if the person that killed my son goes to Heaven; I hope he truly
repents."
Claudine practiced federal law for 12 years and never lost a
case. She serves as "back up" for her husband since
1991. "I made that decision so I could be at home with my
children. I wanted them to grow up in a happy, safe home."
They shared some favorite pastimes of Jimmy's: chess, baseball
and computer games. Family weekly visits to St. Stephen's (Coconut
Grove) and later, St. Andrew's Episcopalian (Old Cutler Road)
are part of the Ryce family's spiritual life. "I always told
Jimmy he was a gift from God. One time, when he was only about
three, he got mad at me because he couldn't have a cookie. He
went down the hall with his little, fat legs into his playroom
and said, 'God, come and get me!' Then, after he kissed and made
up to me, he suddenly stopped playing and ran back to his room.
I followed him, and as he stared up at ceiling, he said, 'God...never
mind!' From a very young age, Jimmy knew God."
Jimmy once told his mother, "things happen on accident, or
on purpose." Whether his being molested two miles from home
was premeditated or an accident remains a mystery. "He used
to come into my office at home everyday after school. He knew
never to get into a car with a stranger, or even a neighbor, if
I didn't say it was okay -- he was smart. Jimmy had been told
all about strangers and abduction, but I never thought to tell
him about guns -- he probably figured he would just sneak back
home when he could. The most important thing I can tell you is
to enjoy your children, because you never know when you're going
to lose them, despite all your best efforts. Teach your children
how to protect themselves the best they can. They will feel safer
knowing what to do."
"Because Jimmy Ryce was with us, his contemporaries, classmates
and teammates...the children he never knew are becoming safer
from the predators and pedophiles who would prey on them. Awareness
of the perils that stalk our streets, playgrounds, schools and
sanctuaries...places we had hoped safe, is being raised up to
a new and higher level. Rather than dwell on what could have been,
I prefer to hold fast to what Jimmy accomplished in his brief
journey among us and then project that into generations yet to
come."
In addition to his loving parents, Jimmy is survived by his brother,
Pat and sister, Marty. The Ryce family has managed to keep his
memory alive and make a dramatic difference in both our community
and nation. "I didn't ask for this," Claudine reminds
us, "I didn't want it; but what I want for Jimmy is justice."
"How do we make sense of what appears to be a contradiction,
a dichotomy, or what some may think of as an irreconcilable difference
between a child's joy and a child's death?"