Hmm another one! I lost Steven in Wal Mart in Yreka, CA about 6 years ago, maybe seven now because I don't remember if he was 12 or 13, I think 12. We were on one of my archeological trips in the summer and had stopped to stay with friends here and they were having a fishing tournament that Steven and Michelle wanted to enter. It was some strange sounding group, more like ax murderers than a civic group lol. Anyway we went to WM with my friend's son, Steven, Michelle, and myself. We got out of the truck and as we were walking up to the store they had dogs for adoption outside and we stopped to pet them. Steven vanished; I assumed he had gone ahead to the sporting goods dept. and would meet us there. We get there, no Steven, they page him, no Steven. By this time I'm thinking I'm 1250 miles from home and my son has been kidnapped! We had just had an incident in El Paso where a young child was taken from a WM and killed. I panicked, I couldn't see 2 feet in front of me. They called a Code Adam and locked down the store immediately. I had told them exactly what he was wearing down to his socks because I had put his clothes out for him so I could do laundry later in the day.
When a Code Adam is in effect they lock all exit doors and no one can come in or out, I used to work in a WM and I hated those, I was always afraid of the worst. When after 10 minutes there was no sign of him they called the Police. When the Officers walked up to the door, the Associate let them in but wouldn't let in a boy who was trying to get in with them. Guess who? Steven. He had gone into their little alcove and was playing video games and didn't hear the page! Well the officers are interviewing me, we are standing toward the front of the door and something catches my eye and it's Steven jumping up and down and waving through the closed glass doors! I literally screamed and ran for the door, the Associate tried to bar my way and I'm saying over and over there he is! There he is! They finally let him in. He wasn't wearing the shirt I described, he had won a t-shirt in the crane machine and put it on over his own t-shirt. I'm hugging him, dancing around and then I grabbed him and threatened him within an inch of his life if he ever left my side again until he 45 years old.
One of the ladies standing there said she had told the Associate she thought that was the boy they were looking for because the shorts and shoes matched the description, but even the manager didn't listen to her.
