A 12-year-old Canadian boy gave his parents quite a scare yesterday afternoon when he disappeared from FAO Schwarz. When the unidentified parents realized he was gone, store security checked surveillance videos and found footage of him exiting the store with a stranger at 2:12 p.m. Fearing the worst, the NYPD brass ordered a Level 2 mobilization, and midtown was flooded with cops. (For more on NYPD mobilization levels, check out this fruitless debate in the comments, and this inconclusive message board post.) more ›

The mother of a 7-year-old who disappeared from a foster home in Brooklyn more than a week ago remains behind bars because authorities believe she knows where her son is. Staten Island resident Jennifer Rodriguez—who according to the Post was described by a social worker yesterday as a drug-addicted habitual liar—is being held on contempt charges as authorities continue to look her son, Patrick Alford, who went missing on Jan. 22. more ›

Nothing like knowing what kind of neighbors you're going to have in the new place! A reader writes in saying, "I live in Brooklyn and in my apartment building this was posted on the wall near the front entrance...seriously, wtf?" WTF, indeed. The full note can be seen after the jump, but to summarize, someone seems to have lost their son and thinks the new neighbors may have found/taken him. Towards the end a "joke" is made, as they note this has happened before and humor has become a coping mechanism. more ›