COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -
The search is short in most cases.
Be it a runaway or a child who's been kicked out of their house, most come home unharmed.
"97 or 98% of kids reported missing are found," said Bob Lowery with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. "Most of them are found quickly within the first few hours of the first day."
According to the center's statistics, it's extremely rare for an abducted child to be murdered. There are only about 100 a year.
But of those, 76% are killed within three hours of their abduction.
"We have children found all the time after weeks, months and even years," said Lowery. "So I think it's important not to give up hope and we can't give up the search because we believe the worst has happened."
Lowery points to Jaycee Dugard, the California girl held for 18 years and ultimately freed in 2009.
"Even though there's been some information about this case we don't know what happened because we weren't there," he said. "We have to think she's out there waiting to be rescued so we can continue to look for her."
Lowery says vigils like those held to pray for Gabbiee are critical to keeping her story out there.
He hopes that ultimately Gabbiee will fall into the majority of kids who make it home.
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Gabbiee's mother passes out fliers about her missing daughter
