Child's advocate reacts to nine-year-old's murder

By Jeff Small

KSDK -- For one father, what happened to nine-year-old murder victim Elizabeth Olten is a reminder of his own family tragedy. In October 1993, Marc Klaas' daughter Polly was kidnapped and later found strangled.

Marc Klaas founded the Klaas Kids Foundation, and dedicated himself to helping parents with children missing or kidnapped. On Friday he talked about what parents can do to protect their kids and hopefully prevent a nightmare.

Polly Klaas was a murder victim whose case gained national attention. At the age of 12, she was kidnapped at knife point from her mother's home during a slumber party in Petaluma, California in 1993. She was later strangled.

Marc Klaas came to St. Louis to help parents prevent similar tragedies. His visit ironically coincides with the discovery of a missing nine-year-old girl's body.

"I think the first reaction has to be condolences to her family, because I know what they are going through and it's really a horrendous situation," Klaas said.

Klaas said there is no simple solution to prevent tragedies like the one that took his daughters life. He said two things that can make all the difference is not leaving kids unsupervised and giving them a cell phone.

"You need to know your child's friends and show them the safest routes to and from school," he said.

Richard Allen Davis was convicted of Polly Klaas' murder in 1996 and sentenced to death.