Teen's Death Has Parents Asking For GPS Tracking Law

Teen Tracking Via GPS In Cell Phones

The saying is that there is no pain worse than that of the loss of a child. Sadly, for the parents of a teenage girl named Kelsey Smith they understand the heartbreaking feeling all too well.

Kesley was a typical teen who lived with her parents in Minnesota, but less than 10 days after her high school graduation she was abducted from a local Target parking lot. Her attacker took her from the public parking lot and then to a remote location where he raped and murdered her. The attack occurred in broad daylight.

Her body was found four days later.

The story is difficult to type, let alone think about. However, one of the more disturbing twists to the story was that when Kelsey's parents were frantically searching for their daughter they asked her cellular provider, Verizon, for access to the GPS tracking data recorded from her cell phone in hope that it would lead them to her location which was still unknown. The parents pleaded and begged for the GPS tracking data and felt that access to it could help them bring home their daughter alive and well. Verizon refused to give the parents access to the GPS system data and continued to withhold it until law enforcement forced their hand with a subpoena.

Once law enforcement personnel and the parents had access to the historical data from the GPS tracking chip in Kelsey's cellular phone they were able to discover her body within 45 minutes.

Kelsey's story sent shock waves throughout the entire country and put her parents on a quest to make it mandatory that cellular companies provide private cellular GPS tracking system data to law enforcement groups if a person is in danger. The law would be known as Kelsey's Act in honor of the beautiful girl whose life was taken much too early.

With the number of missing teens and children continuing to increase, law enforcement and government lawmakers need to take every possible action to ensure the safety and potential safe return of every missing child or teen. Kelsey's Act would be a step in the right direction.

Tracking System Direct would like to send it's prayers and thoughts to the family of Kelsey Smith, and hope they are successful in their quest for legislation that will protect all children and teens.

Source: Kare 11