---

To have a child abducted by a stranger is every parent's worst nightmare - and studies of child abduction cases reveal it's easy to see why.

Within the first three hours of a "non-family" child abduction, the child is dead in nearly three-quarters of the cases, a study of perpetrators by the Washington State Attorney General's office found.

Because a quick response by law enforcement is key to preventing that nightmare scenario, a consortium of more than 40 Massachusetts law enforcement agencies, including six area police departments, has formed a team to handle abduction and missing child cases.

"I don't think there is anything more serious than a child abduction or a missing child," Norton Police Chief Brian Clark said.

Clark was a detective nine years ago when Corey Anderson went missing in a snowstorm looking for his dog. His body was found after a 72-hour search, stunning the community and searchers - many of whom had children of their own. Clark was on hand Wednesday in Wellesley when the regional consortium, the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council, announced the formation of the Child Abduction Response Team - or, CART.

The team is made up of highly trained personnel from the 42 member agencies, including Norton, Attleboro, Mansfield, Foxboro, Plainville, Wrentham and Norfolk.

Its formation follows a nationwide trend by law enforcement agencies in smaller cities and towns to coordinate an effective response to a child abduction.

Police say the regional response is crucial because smaller cities and towns do not have the personnel or financial resources to deal effectively with a child abduction search and investigation.

"This gives us more resources to track down leads and handle things in an organized, professional manner," Clark said.

The team has more than 40 investigators, 80 search and rescue SWAT personnel, 40 motorcycle personnel to form road blocks, 23 cyber crime investigators and four public information officers to disseminate information to the media and public.

Lt. Helena Findlen, a spokeswoman for Metro-LEC, said a study of 621 child abductors by the Washington state Attorney General's Office found that in 74 percent of the abduction cases, the child was dead within three hours.

"That's why the team is so crucial. They are trained and don't have to be told what to do. The team knows what to do," Findlen said.

Foxboro Detective Thomas Kirrane, a member of the motorcycle unit, participated in a child abduction drill in Wellesley where 10 motorcycle officers conducted a roadblock to demonstrate what might happen in a child abduction.

"The good thing about the motorcycle unit is that we can be activated within a half-hour," Kirrane said. The team is modeled after a similar unit formed in Florida in 2005, following the abduction a year earlier of an 11-year-old girl who was raped and later found dead.

While similar cases have not occurred in the Attleboro area, police say no community is immune to such heinous crimes.

In Dennis last month, a 15-year-old girl was abducted from her home and raped. A suspect was arrested earlier this month after authorities matched his DNA from evidence at the crime scene.

In the summer of 2000, 16-year-old lifeguard Molly Bish was kidnapped from a pond in Warren. Her body was found three years later after the largest search in the state's history. Her killer has never been found.

"These things can certainly happen around here, and you need to be prepared for it. We're prepared for it now," Clark said.