Why were Chelsea King and Amber Dubois treated so differently by San Diego law enforcement?

Amber Dubois, left, and Chelsea King







UPDATE: AMBER DUBOIS FOUND

I appreciate the difficult problem law enforcement faces when confronted with a missing person report. Most of the time missing teenagers do tend to show up at home without any effort of law enforcement. Running away is one of the things that teenagers tend to do now and again. Also, police had a more recent fix on exactly where Chelsea King was last seen. But if Amber Dubois had been found, whether alive or dead, and a kidnapper charged with abducting her, Chelsea King might be alive today.

It's actually in the interest of the clean-cut, high-achieving, happy-living-at-home children for society to take a keen interest in the wellbeing of children who are suspected of having run away.



2 Missing Teen Cases, 2 Different Police Responses
2 missing teen cases in California reflect different ways of handling by police, media
By ELLIOT SPAGAT
March 6, 2010 (AP)
The Associated Press

The disappearances of 14-year-old Amber Dubois and 17-year-old Chelsea King illustrate a sad fact: not all missing children cases are treated the same.

King was the focus of intense media attention and law enforcement effort, with hundreds of officers and thousands of volunteers joining the search for her. Yet, almost exactly a year earlier and about 10 miles from where King was last seen jogging, 14-year-old Dubois left home to walk to school, never to be seen again. But Dubois' case got little media attention and seemingly fewer law enforcement resources...

Chelsea disappeared Feb. 25, last seen in a park with running clothes. The case sparked a search involving about 1,500 law enforcement officials and thousands of volunteers. It ended five days later when a body was found in a shallow lakeside grave.

Amber was walking to school when she vanished a year ago just 10 miles north of the site where Chelsea was last seen. Leads went nowhere. The news media showed little interest...




Remains of Amber Dubois found in Pala
By Kristina Davis
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
March 7, 2010

...Her family said it was unlikely she ran away. She had no extra clothes, and she was excited to purchase a lamb she was going to raise through the school’s agricultural program. The $200 check she carried to school that day has never been cashed, police said...





Cases of Missing Women and Young Girls Get Varying Media Attention
Some Missing Persons Cases Captivate the Country While Others Get Little Notice
By RON CLAIBORNE and DAN PRZYGODA
March 7, 2010

Chelsea King was the focus of intense media attention and law enforcement effort, with hundreds of officers and thousands of volunteers joining the search for her.
Not all disappearances capture the media, public's attention in the same way.

Almost exactly a year earlier and about 10 miles from where King was last seen jogging, 14-year-old Amber Dubois left home to walk to school, never to be seen again. Yet, Dubois' case got far less media attention and seemingly fewer law enforcement resources...