On her way to school, a Vallejo teenager was abducted and she has not been seen ever since; that was over two years ago.
And on Friday, the family of Pearl Pinson wants to make sure another family does not go through their same pain. So, they helped teach kids in their community to fight back against a kidnapper.
A brand new backpack, stuffed with all the right supplies, is a gift something the kids at the Vallejo Mobile Home RV park really liked.
Pinson’s family helped plan this giveaway–all with donations.
They wanted to help their community have a successful school year, not just with pencils, but with the power to know what to do in the face of a predator.
“Teaching these kids how to defend themselves in that situation and is us feeling that what we went through could help them,” Pearl’s sister Rose said.
In May 2016, Pinson was abducted on her way to school. The only suspect in the case died in a shootout with police.
The pain of not knowing where she is never goes away.
“We are doing our best every day,” Rose said.
Vallejo police came to pass out stickers and teach kids what to do if a stranger approaches them on the street.
“If they are not your teacher or parents, friends, you should go tell an adult,” Officer Long said.
Parents appreciated the self-defense lesson.
“I have never had something that horrible happen in my life and I pray it doesn’t happen,” mother Chelsie Gatte said.
The Pinson family anxiously waits for the case of their missing loved one to be solved, but they are happy they could teach kids about stranger danger.
It is a lesson they hope kids never need but want them to know as they head off to school.