I used to walk half a mile to kindergarten myself just a few years before.
That was normal, decent parenting back then, and only a tiny number of children died from it.
But when ONE child in the area disappears or is murdered, and no killer caught, THEN the standard of proper caution goes way, way up.
Two children dead and three missing, never found.
my mom somehow got me to school the first day of kindergarten by having me walk with some bigger kids
she pinned a card on my collar with my name and address on it
naturally, I could not find my way back home and started backtracking crying in fear
some nice lady came out of her house, read the card and brought me home to my house
you think my mom apologized
no, she acted like I was silly not being able to find my way home
I could have been kidnapped, disappeared, God knows what