Missing Kids: Resources

Recently, I have heard about five missing persons. Two were young adults and three are teens. Sadly, the young adults were found dead. Two of the teens were found safely some distance from their homes. As a parent, I am devastated to think of what these parents are going through. I did a search for resources on missing persons, which I am sharing here.

Amber Alert -- Law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry all work together on the AMBER Alert™ Program. This program is for disseminating information about missing persons aged 17 years or younger. The AMBER Alert program activates an urgent bulletin in serious child-abduction cases. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly spread the world about a child's disappearance to assist in the search for and the safe recovery of the child.

Each AMBER plan is based on clearly defined activation criteria to provide a uniform network of plans across the country, and to minimize potentially deadly delays because of confusion among varying jurisdictions. In order for an AMBER Alert to go out:

• There must be a reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred.
• The law enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
• There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child.
• The abduction is of a child aged 17 years or younger.
• The child’s name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system.