AMBER Alert Briefs – Issue 4 2020

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) released new age progression photos for two children who went missing from a house fire on September 23, 2012. AMBER Alerts were issued at the time for nine-year-old Chloie Leverette and seven-year-old Gage Daniel. Their remains were never found. “AMBER Alerts do not expire,” said Leslie Earhart, Tennessee Bureau of Investigations spokesperson. “They remain active until we have definitive information concerning the child’s whereabouts.”

Some Maryland residents received a second AMBER Alert the day after the child was located because of Wi-Fi connection issues. The first alert was issued September 27, 2020, after a nine-month-old girl was allegedly kidnapped by her mother’s boyfriend. The alert was canceled the same day, but some people got the alert the next day when their phones connected to a Wi-Fi network.

A coalition of state attorneys general are asking for the passage of The National Child ID Act to help parents and law enforcement better protect children from exploitation, abduction, and human trafficking. This legislation enables each attorney general to request grant funding to purchase child ID kits for children in kindergarten through 6th grade. The kit allows parents to collect specific information by recording the physical characteristics, fingerprints, and DNA of their child. 

Laclede County, Missouri, Sheriff David Millsap said an AMBER Alert was issued after a mother falsely claimed a man took her newborn baby. The woman said the baby was snatched after the child was born on the side of the road. The sheriff determined the baby was born in a trailer and that the false information was given because the baby’s mother and father were dealing with outstanding warrants.

College Station, Texas, Assistant Police Chief Charles “Chuck” Fleeger was honored for his work to help missing and abducted children when he retired after serving with the agency since 1989. The U.S. Department of Justice honored Fleeger as the AMBER Alert Coordinator of the Year in 2010. Fleeger will now direct the nonprofit Brazos Valley AMBER Alert Network, and will continue teaching and consulting on issues concerning missing and exploited children, including his work with the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program and National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College.

States can now apply for federal funding for the Ashanti Alert pilot program. The Ashanti Alert notifies the public about missing or endangered adults, ages 18-64, and sets up a national communications network to assist law enforcement in the search. The Bureau of Justice Assistance will make $1 million in technical assistance available to facilitate and expedite the development of statewide Ashanti Alert programs. The alert is named after Ashanti Billie, the 19-year-old college student was abducted and murdered in North Carolina in 2017.

Family and friends in Kansas City are raising money for memorial benches to honor Olivia Jansen, a three-year-old who was allegedly murdered by her father and his girlfriend. Police issued an AMBER Alert on July 12, 2020, after the father reported his daughter was missing. “The whole situation, has touched so many hearts and it hits home,” said family friend Ramona Olivas, “It’s beautiful to see all these people coming out for her.” A motorcycle group organized a ride to raise money and additional fundraisers are planned.