Target Selection and Crime Characteristics: A Comparison of Sexually Motivated Abduction Cases to Nonsexual Abduction Cases and Nonabduction Sexual Cases

Abstract

Abduction has been related to a more extensive violent criminal record, suggesting that it represents a risk for escalation in violence. As most research has investigated child abductions, the current study compares sexually motivated abductions ( n = 1,288) to nonsexually motivated abductions ( n = 270) and nonabduction sexual assaults ( n = 1,500) involving both children and adult women victims. Logistic regression analyses showed that compared with nonsexually motivated abductions, those that are sexually motivated are typically committed on victims who are single, while they are hitchhiking at night, and perpetrated in the offender’s car. Moreover, when compared with nonabduction sexual assaults, results show that individuals who commit sexually motivated abductions are more likely to use a con approach on a stranger victim, to use a weapon, restraints, inflict serious injuries, and penetrate vaginally the victim either in their residence or their car. Abduction cases are often characterized by instrumental violence and both children and adult women need to be prioritized.