Child abductions: First 3 hours the most critical in finding kids

SEATTLE -- According to the FBI, when a child is abducted, the first three hours are the most critical in finding them.

About 74 percent of kidnap victims who are slain are killed within those first three hours, the FBI says.

Federal statistics show crimes against children peak in the afternoon, and that includes abductions. And stranger kidnappings are most likely to occur in the evening or very early morning hours when it's still dark.

Everett police believe the 5-year-old girl kidnapped by a man from her apartment early Saturday morning was taken at about 3 a.m. She was found unharmed at about 4:30 a.m.

The FBI says most abduction cases involve family members involved in custody disputes -- and 99 percent of those children are returned alive.