Out of the San Francisco Bay area of California over the past few days comes the riveting case of a young woman found 18 years after her abduction while waiting for the morning school bus.

Then, Jaycee Dugard was 11 years old, a fifth grader, blond and carefree, and in love with the color pink.

Today, she is 29 years old and the mother of two children, ages 15 and 11, by her alleged kidnapper.  You can read more about the case here.

We still don't know many details of the 18 years she spent with the kidnappers in their secret, squalid backyard, more than 150 miles away from her parents, who never gave up hope, by the way, that she would one day be found.

Those details are likely to emerge over the coming days and weeks.

Surely, as we speak, book deals are being written, proposed, discussed. It's a compelling, heart-churning case. There's anger, disbelief, shock, relief—horror.

I've edited many true crime books over the years, and while I've always appreciated the talent and resourcefulness the best writers bring to these stories, they are personally difficult to work on. One wonders—rages—over how the creeps in our society can do such horrible things to innocent children.

The case brings to mind that of Elizabeth Smart, who was kidnapped from her home in June 2002 and held captive for 9 months before being reunited with her parents, Ed and Lois Smart.

Several books came out of that nightmare. The best in my opinion was the Smart family's own book, Bringing Elizabeth Home by Ed and Lois Smart (Doubleday, 2003), which told, in their direct and sympathetic voices, exactly what happened and how they began the long process of healing together.  They called their book "an opening of our pained hearts." 

In its simplicity and directness of style, it was unputdownable.

For parents anywhere, these stories are vivid reminders of how careful we—unfortunately—have to be in our world and what we need to do to keep our kids safe.

These 25 tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are very good reminders of the protocols to follow. 

Check out their website at www.take25.org.