Never Go to the Secondary Locations: The Grim FBI Survival Statistics
Updated: 7 hours ago
There is a critical moment in many abduction and kidnapping situations that deserves far more attention: the moment someone attempts to move you somewhere else. They may tell you to get into a vehicle, ask you to come inside a building, attempt to move you around a corner, or try to separate you from other people.
They may threaten you, intimidate you, or physically attempt to move you. Whatever the explanation, there is a fundamental personal safety principle: never voluntarily go to a secondary location with someone who is attempting to control, threaten, abduct, or isolate you.
Why Are Secondary Locations So Dangerous?
FBI research shows that victims have only a 10% chance of survival once moved; a secondary location is a death sentence, not a destination.
The original location may be the last place where you have access to witnesses, cameras, potential assistance, exits, and other resources. Once you are moved, those advantages can disappear. The person controlling the situation may gain control over the environment, transportation, communication, exits, and access to other people. The problem is no longer simply who is confronting you. It becomes who controls the environment.
People sometimes make a dangerous assumption: "If I cooperate, maybe they will let me go." There is no way to know that. If someone is already threatening you, attempting to restrain you, or attempting to abduct you, voluntarily entering a vehicle or moving to an isolated location can remove opportunities that exist where you currently are.
This is why CVPSD emphasizes a simple personal safety principle: do not allow someone to move you from a relatively public or defensible environment into an environment they control.
Recognizing the Warning Signs of an Abduction Attempt
Imagine someone approaches you and says, "Get in the car." The question is not simply, "What happens if I make them angry?" A more important question is, "What happens if I get in?"
If someone says, "Come inside and we'll talk," ask yourself why they need you to go somewhere else. If they tell you to move away from other people, recognize that they may be attempting to establish greater control over the situation.
Other warning signs can include someone attempting to prevent you from leaving, blocking your path, physically directing your movement, separating you from other people, insisting that you enter a vehicle, or attempting to move you into an isolated area.
These behaviors should not automatically be interpreted as proof of criminal intent. However, they can represent a significant change in the circumstances and warrant increased awareness.
Do Not Wait Until You Are Certain You Are in Danger
One of the biggest mistakes in personal safety is waiting for certainty. People often think, "Maybe I'm overreacting," or "Maybe this person isn't actually dangerous." They may decide to cooperate temporarily and figure things out later.
But once you have been moved, your options may be dramatically reduced.
You do not need absolute certainty about someone's intentions to recognize that being forcibly isolated is dangerous. The earlier you recognize that someone is attempting to control your movement, the more options you may have.
Why Staying in a Public Location Matters
If someone is attempting to move you against your will and other people are nearby, use the environment to your advantage.
Move toward people, occupied businesses, security personnel, or other areas where assistance is available. Attract attention and clearly communicate what is happening.
Instead of simply screaming, specific statements such as "Call 911," "This person is trying to take me," or "I don't know this person" can help communicate the situation to people around you.
The objective is to make the situation visible.
An offender attempting to establish control may benefit from isolation. Remaining around other people can preserve access to witnesses, assistance, exits, and other resources.
De-Escalation Does Not Mean Going Somewhere With Someone
There is an important distinction between de-escalating an interaction and allowing yourself to be isolated.
CVPSD teaches verbal de-escalation because communication can sometimes prevent violence from developing. But de-escalation does not mean surrendering control of your location.
You can remain calm without agreeing to go somewhere. You can communicate without becoming isolated. You can avoid unnecessary confrontation while still maintaining distance.
The objective is to reduce danger while preserving your options.
What Should You Do If Someone Tries to Take You Somewhere?
There is no universal response that applies to every violent encounter. The circumstances matter.
A person may be facing a weapon, multiple attackers, or an immediate threat of serious injury. Personal safety is not about following a slogan blindly. The objective is to survive.
Look for opportunities to break contact, create distance, attract attention, move toward other people, escape, access a phone, or reach a secure location.
If an opportunity to leave safely appears, taking that opportunity may be more important than continuing the interaction.
When Physical Self-Defense Becomes Necessary
Physical defensive skills may become necessary when someone attempts to physically control you. But the purpose of physical skills is not to win a fight. It is to create an opportunity to escape.
This is an important distinction in practical self-defense training. The goal is not to engage in a prolonged confrontation when escape is possible. The goal is to create enough opportunity to disengage and reach safety.
CVPSD's approach combines situational awareness, verbal skills, boundary setting, disengagement, and practical defensive skills because physical confrontation is only one part of personal safety.
The Psychology of Isolation and Control
Isolation can change how a person responds to a threat. Fear, stress, and uncertainty can affect decision-making and make it harder to recognize available options.
That is why personal safety training should address more than physical techniques.
People need to understand how they respond under stress, recognize changes in another person's behavior, identify attempts to control movement, and make decisions before the situation becomes overwhelming.
Awareness is not paranoia. It is information.
The First Location May Give You More Options
The first location may provide advantages that disappear after someone moves you.
There may be people nearby.
There may be cameras.
There may be open doors.
There may be employees, security personnel, or law enforcement nearby.
There may be multiple directions to move.
There may be opportunities to call for help.
There may be witnesses who can intervene or report what they see.
Once you are taken somewhere controlled by the offender, those advantages may no longer exist. That is why preventing the transition to a secondary location can be so important.
The Second Location Should Be a Mental Warning Sign
The concept of a secondary location should become a mental warning sign.
If someone who is threatening you wants you to get into a car, come inside, go somewhere private, move away from people, follow them, enter another room, or go somewhere they control, recognize that the situation may be changing.
You are not simply changing locations.
You may be giving up control of the environment.
Personal Safety Is About Preserving Your Options
CVPSD's approach to personal safety is based on layered decision-making.
Awareness helps you recognize that something is changing. Assessment helps you determine whether someone is attempting to control or isolate you. Communication can sometimes reduce tension. Boundaries can help you maintain distance. Disengagement can help you leave before physical control is established. Physical defensive skills can provide an option when other measures fail. Escape gets you away from the immediate threat.
The goal is not to predict exactly what another person will do.
The goal is to recognize when your options are beginning to disappear.
Never Voluntarily Surrender Control of Your Location
The most important part may happen before the second location.
Stay where there are people. Stay where there is visibility. Stay where there are exits. Stay where you can call for help. Stay where someone else can see what is happening.
If someone is attempting to take you somewhere against your will, your objective is not to find out what happens at the second location.
Your objective is to prevent yourself from getting there.
The second location is where you may have fewer options. The first location is where you may still have choices.
About the Author: William DeMuth is the Director of Training at the Center for Violence Prevention and Self Defense (CVPSD) in Freehold, NJ. With over 35 years of research in violence dynamics and personal safety, William specializes in evidence-based training that bridges the gap between compliance and real-world conflict resolution. The architect of the ConflictIQ™ program, he holds advanced certifications and has trained under diverse industry leaders. Today, he actively trains civilians, healthcare workers, and corporate teams in situational awareness, threat assessment, behavior analysis, de-escalation strategies, and physical tactics.
