AMBER Advocate Magazine

Forty-seven missing and endangered children were reunited with their families in a first-of-its-kind rescue operation in New York. More than 55 experts, including 22 law enforcement agencies, collaborated in the mission to locate missing Erie County children who had been taken by non-custodial parents or had run away. “I have 30 years of doing this, and this has been the proudest, most impactful moment of my career,” said Kevin Branzetti, co-founder and CEO of the National Child Protection Task Force. Branzetti and Cindy Neff, manager of New York’s Missing Persons Clearinghouse (and AATTAP/NCJTC Associate), spearheaded the initiative in which law enforcement provided investigative support to Amherst and Buffalo police departments. Investigators gained valuable knowledge and now have “more tools in our toolbox” to tackle future cases of missing children, Branzetti said.

As a growing number of states continue to grapple with tech companies on legislation meant to safeguard children online, Maryland made its Kids Code official by enacting it into law. The Maryland Kids Code prevents tech companies from harvesting data, posting location information, or using dark algorithms pertaining to children. A second part, slated to take effect in 2025, requires the companies to assess and analyze their products for potential harm it could cause children. The measure was contentious throughout the legislative process, with Big Tech lobbyists opposing it; legal challenges could still arise. The legislation mirrors California’s 2022 Age Appropriate Design Code Act, which follows a model established in the United Kingdom.

In 1951, Luis Armando Albino was playing in a California park with his older brother when a woman lured him away with the promise to buy him candy. Instead, she abducted the 6-year-old boy. Seventy-three years later, Albino was found alive on the East Coast, thanks to the tenacity of his niece, the help of an online ancestry test and old newspaper articles, and assistance from multiple law enforcement agencies. After DNA confirmation, the elderly Albino returned to California where he was able to hug his brother and meet relatives he never knew. Aleda Alequin, the niece credited with unraveling the mystery, hopes the story gives hope to other families with missing children. “I would say, ‘Don’t give up,’” Alequin says. The FBI is still pursuing the investigation into the abduction.

Reported cases of missing Indigenous people in Nebraska have nearly doubled—from 23 in 2020 to 43 in 2024. Those figures come roughly five years after the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) was tasked with studying and producing recommendations to curb the disproportionate rate at which Indigenous children and women go missing. Officials believe the increased number of missing Indigenous people reveals a more accurate picture of the crisis, one stemming from NSP efforts to include race in missing persons reports. Although critics question why the agency’s landmark study—on which other states have modeled theirs—has seen few recommended actions implemented, others say change is happening. “Progress is not as fast as I would always like it to be, but I do believe we are making progress,” said Judi gaiashkibos, a citizen of the Ponca Tribe and director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, which worked with the NSP on the report.

More than two years ago, Washington became the first state to implement alerts for missing Indigenous people. Today, law enforcement officials say the alerts—enacted in response to statistics showing that Indigenous persons go missing at a higher rate than other groups—have proved crucial in locating missing teens, many of whom can become victims of trafficking. Carri Gordon of the Washington State Patrol says the presence of the alerts has been effective in getting runaway youth to make contact with law enforcement. The alerts are also credited with improving coordination between Tribal and non-Tribal authorities which supports swifter location of missing persons. Gordon notes that MMIP alerts have helped solve longer-term cases (including that of Puyallup Tribal member Besse Handy).

Alaska is ushering in the new year with an increased focus on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) crisis. New legislation signed by Governor Mike Dunleavy requires Indigenous cultural training for new police officers, an assessment of the Department of Public Safety’s investigative resources for reporting MMIP cases, and the establishment of a commission to review and report on unsolved cases. Deilah Johnson, an advocate with the Village of Solomon Tribe, calls the commission a much-needed step. “At the state level, there was just not a lot of discussion or acknowledgment in addressing any of the overwhelming statistics surrounding the issues facing Indigenous populations, specifically women and young girls,” Johnson said. The nine-member commission, which includes seats for victim advocacy and Alaska Native Tribal organizations, will report findings to the Alaska Legislature. Johnson hopes the new measures will continue to generate awareness about MMIP and inspire partnerships to build additional resources.

A teenage girl abducted and trafficked from Mexico was safely recovered after sending a series of text messages in Spanish to a 911 telecommunicator in California. About 20 minutes after her pleas for help came in, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office deputies safely recovered the frightened girl, who was believed to be no older than 17. The case highlights the effectiveness of allowing text messages to a call center and using integrated translation technology to bridge language barriers. “Young people text—that’s how they communicate,” a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said. “So her first instinct is to text. Well, she texted 911 and … that works.” The girl, who had no idea where she was when she was able to quietly gain access to a cell phone in the early morning hours, identified landmarks that led deputies to her. A subsequent investigation revealed she had been trafficked from Mexico two months earlier. She provided information that led to the arrest of a 31-year-old man from Veracruz, Mexico, for human trafficking and luring, among other charges.

The European Parliament has lauded a project that revealed a startling number of missing migrant children in Europe. The Lost in Europe project investigated the disappearance of more than 50,000 child migrants and found that, on average, nearly 47 migrant children arriving in Europe have gone missing every day since 2021. The investigation concluded that many of the missing children are victims of human trafficking; based on documentation inconsistencies, the actual number may be even higher. The findings are “just the tip of the iceberg,” said Aagje Leven, secretary general of Missing Children Europe. The three-month-long joint investigation by media outlets in seven countries received the E.U. Parliament’s 2024 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism, named in memory of the assassinated journalist and anti-corruption activist.

During Law enforcement authorities across Canada continue to raise concerns about fake missing children posts that are actually bait-and-switch scams. The posts, circulating on Facebook, tug at heartstrings by claiming a child is missing or has been found and needs help locating their family. After a post has been widely shared, scammers change it to promote their products or marketing schemes—sometimes with a link that, if clicked, allows access to the user’s computer or initiates a ransomware attack. The problem complicates legitimate Facebook posts about missing children. “That’s where this becomes insidious—because then people become nervous about sharing these things because they wonder if it’s real or not,” said David Gerhard, head of computer science at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Scam posts are often shared in public Facebook groups and have the comments turned off. Legitimate missing person posts should be verifiable by police have a case report number, or be posted directly by a trusted organization or person, Gerhard said.