Issue 53

The first AMBER Advocate issue of 2023 features an array of new AATTAP training opportunities now in gear-ones we’ve dubbed “By You, For You,” since they’re driven by valuable input from law enforcement and child protection professionals from around the U.S. and in Indian Country. We also spotlight a case involving a Utah teen abducted from his home from a fellow social gamer-an accused sexual predator, twice his age, who drove him 800 miles before a good Samaritan alerted authorities in Nebraska. Next we talk with AATTAP Region One Liaison Joan Collins, a law enforcement veteran who shares the secret to good communication and morale. And we round out the issue with missing childrelated news certain to educate and inspire.

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Features

Photo of curriculum-focused field assessment meeting near Washington, D.C.

2023: The Road Ahead – ‘By You, For You’

You're in the driver's seat with an array of valuable new educational offerings.

Photo of Utah mom hugging her son after his recovery by law enforcement.

On the Front Lines: Danger at Play

A Utah boy is lured [..]

Joan Collins is all smiles upon retiring after 28 years’ service with the Rhode Island State Police. She joined AATTAP shortly afterward. Photo: Facebook

Faces of the AMBER Alert Network: Joan Collins

AATTAP Region One Liaison Joan [..]

U.S. Briefs

Genetic testing company helps family of ‘Baby Melissa’ find her after 51 years

On August 23, 1971, 1-year-old Melissa Highsmith of Fort Worth was kidnapped by a woman posing as a babysitter. Her family searched for in vain for her over five decades, and never gave up. Encouraged by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the family used the genetic-testing company 23andMe—and Jeffrie Highsmith discovered a grandchild he [..]

Navajo Nation unveils new missing persons guidelines that emphasize empathy

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and First Lady Phefelia Nez have issued an executive order laying out new guidelines for missing persons cases that will emphasize being more empathetic to victims and their families. “Many families know the personal heartbreak and trauma of missing loved ones in the Navajo Nation and throughout Indian Country. Multiple [..]

Colorado operation recovers 11 high-risk missing kids

“Operation Lost and Found” has located nearly a dozen endangered missing children throughout the Denver metro area. A two-week operation by the Aurora Police Department, the U.S. Marshals, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children helped find the children, who ranged in age for 12 to 17. Authorities said the children were “some of the [..]

Florida officials providing 250,000 free child-ID kits

If the worst-case scenario ever happens, Florida officials want parents to be ready. On the heels of more than 25,000 incidents of missing children reported to authorities in 2022, the state will be giving free identification kits to parents. The goal is to make it easier for parents to collect identifying information on cards that can be [..]

International Briefs

Missing Children Europe reflects on 20 years’ success ‘but more work is needed’

The group Missing Children Europe was founded in 2001 to protect children from becoming missing. The group coordinates a vast network of missing children hotlines and cross-border family mediators throughout Europe. The group recently celebrated its 20th anniversary at a celebrity-studded event. But the event’s main goal was to highlight the fact that since the launch of its [..]

Research: Every day about 17 migrant children in Europe go missing for criminals’ intent

On November 20, 2022—World Children’s Day—Sakarya University’s Diaspora Research Center in Turkey reported that the number of cases involving missing migrant children in Europe is skyrocketing. According to their 2021 “Lost in Europe” report, more than 18,000 migrant children went missing in Europe between 2018 and 2020—an average of 17 refugee children each day. European authorities are [..]

Five mothers seeking ‘disappeared’ family members found murdered in Mexico

In the past two years, five volunteer activists in Mexico who have frantically searched for their missing “disappeared” (and presumed murdered) children have themselves been murdered. The news has gotten little attention. With more than 100,000 missing people in Mexico, experts say police often lack the time, expertise, or interest to look for the clandestine grave sites [..]

AMBER Advocate Magazine