Technology can be a lifesaver if it’s used effectively and intelligently. This was proved last friday by a brave mother and daughter duo in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The 18-year-old girl from the city had gone missing a day earlier but was found later by her mother who used her daughter’s iPhone to track her down.
Turns out her ex-boyfriend had kidnapped her and was attempting to flee Pennsylvania in a car. He had bound the girl’s hands and legs with a duct tape. He taped her mouth shut so that she couldn’t cry out for help. But thankfully, he forgot to remove her iPhone from her pocket.
Finding a moment when the kidnapper wasn’t looking, the girl quickly managed to retrieve her iPhone and send a distress message (SMS) to her mother. The mother wasted no time in notifying the State Police who swiftly tracked the girl’s location using Apple’s Find My iPhone feature.
The police apprehended the perp and the victim in a car at a McDonald’s parking lot in Milesburg, about 150 miles east of Pittsburgh. The boy was arrested by the Police and bail was set for $150,000.
While there’s no denying that the story is horrifying — more so to the mother and daughter who were actually involved in the ordeal — it’s still a great reminder of how Apple’s tracking technology can potentially be a lifesaver.
That’s why, to all the members of our community, we have this request to make:
Please enable the Find My iPhone feature in your iPhone and keep it on always. Ask your friends and families also to do so. Yes, it will affect your battery life slightly, but that’s a small price to pay if it can help you save your life!
Full report on NBC News.