Mom of 11-year-old in alleged Aurora kidnapping attempt speaks out
AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Transparency and a plan of action are the two things parents are calling after an attempted kidnapping Friday at Black Forest Hills Elementary School.
Aurora police said a man tried to grab a young boy before officers arrived on school grounds.
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With only 25 days left in the school year, many parents are unsure whether they will send their children back to school. They want school officials to own up about what happened — and what did not.
An 11-year-old boy called for help when the alleged kidnapper grabbed him and approached three other students, and his mother shared her anguish.
“They are the ones who fought off this guy, ran away from him, called stranger danger. And if they had not done that, I wouldn’t have my son with me in my own home,” Miranda Ayala said.
‘How did this happen?’: Kidnapping attempt shakes up Aurora school families
After fifth-grade recess on Friday, families of students at Black Forest Hills Elementary School received a phone recording that said:
“This is an important message for families at Black Forest Hill. This afternoon during 5th grade recess an unidentified adult male entered the field, approached a group of students, engaged them briefly and then exited the property.
“School staff brought students inside from recess and called district security police and security are now at the school looking into the incident.
“Out of an abundance of caution, if you would like to pick up your child from school, you may do so. Otherwise, we will dismiss as usual. We will have an increased security and police presence at school during dismissal as a precaution.”
Black Forest Hills Elementary School
“Just shock, and lots of questions. How did this happen?” Ayala said. “How did somebody get into the field area of a school and lay hands on my son is my question.”
“Immediately after that was third-grade recess, and they let those kids out,” parent Dante White said. “A secured campus should have been called immediately. They didn’t do that, so the person still at large for another hour, you could almost be to Colorado Springs.”
Police found someone nearby who matched the suspect description. He was identified as 33-year-old Solomon Galligan, a sex offender, according to the Aurora Police Department.
That’s what terrified parents.
“I don’t want to keep him home, but I think it’s negligent of me to even send him back to the same place that doesn’t have a plan to keep them safe,” Ayala said.
How have Black Forest Hills school leaders responded?
While school officials met with parents Monday morning, parents were unhappy with the response.
“We want to meet with Chris Smith, the superintendent. We made several requests at this point and was told it’s not going to happen,” White said. “These aren’t isolated incidents. We had another abduction last night. We got an Amber Alert on our phones. If things aren’t in place and they see that it’s holes in the armor, predators will continue to do this type of stuff.”
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He said the only reason parents knew of the situation was because they banded together to tell what unfolded on the school grounds.
“They talk a big game about it, but when we met with them there was not a plan of action. They apologize, but apology falls on deaf ears if they don’t say we messed up, this is the plan moving forward. There was protocol in place that wasn’t followed,” he said. “If these kids were younger and they weren’t in fifth grade and be able to kick the guy off, they would have got snatched. If it was a kindergarten class, they would have got grabbed.”
School leaders say there will be increased supervision at the school all week, and staff will reinforce safety practices.
Parents say it’s not enough. It’s not only affecting students on school grounds but also at home.
One mother told FOX31 her son has been sleeping with her since the incident because of the trauma he encountered.
The Cherry Creek School District released a statement following the incident.
“We take all safety concerns very seriously and have launched an investigation into the incident that happened Friday. We are committed to being transparent and accountable to our community, and the school is in communication with families.”
Galligan is currently being held on a $25,000 on charges of second-degree kidnapping.
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