AMBER Advocate Magazine

“No cold case is ever truly closed.” So said New Haven, Connecticut, Police Chief Karl Jacobson in crediting officers and detectives for their diligence in reinvestigating the cold case of a toddler abducted by her mother. For 25 years, officers knew Andrea Michelle Reyes only by a photo of a smiling dark-haired child in a pink-checked outfit. Reyes was about 2 years old and under custody of her father when her mother abducted her, then was suspected of fleeing to Mexico. Two years ago, Detective Kealyn Nivakoff began to reinvestigate the case. Through interviews, search warrants, and social media, she was able to connect with Reyes in the Mexican city of Puebla. Subsequently, Reyes contacted the man she believed to be her father, who had searched tirelessly for her since the 1999 abduction. Advanced DNA testing confirmed the familial relationship. An arrest warrant for the mother, Rosa Tenorio, remains valid in the United States; she is believed to be in Mexico. 

For 11 years, “Missing in Southeast Texas Day” has been bringing resources to families with missing loved ones. During this year’s event in Houston, dozens of families made connections with law enforcement, social services, and forensics experts dedicated to locating missing persons. Family members were able to provide DNA samples, enter information into the National Missing & Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), and file photos and other identifying documents. Texas Center for the Missing organizers say the goal is to reduce the number of individuals buried as unknowns due to lack of a missing person report and give families closure. The Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff’s Office were among the partners of the free event.

More than a dozen Good Samaritans are being called heroes after rescuing two children, ages 2 and 6 months, and their mother, from a vehicle fleeing a Jacksonville, Florida, parking lot. Video footage released by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) shows bystanders rushing forward and safely pulling the woman and a child, who were being dragged by the vehicle, and the other child from the SUV. Witnesses provided a detailed vehicle description that led to the driver’s arrest at a shopping center. “The situation could have ended in tragedy,” a JSO social media post stated. “Your JSO is grateful for the quick action and bravery of the Good Samaritans who stepped up.” The driver, Yanni Human, 26, faces multiple felony charges including child abuse and false imprisonment. 

The Missing & Murdered Diné Relatives (MMDR) Task Force continues to ramp up training initiatives as part of its strategy to combat the crisis of missing and murdered people across Navajo Nation. The Arizona group recently met with representatives of AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC), part of the AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP), to review updates and information about the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act. It also learned more about AATTAP’s Child Abduction Tabletop Exercise (CATE), a tool that helps communities strengthen emergency response capabilities. MMDR Task Force Chair Amber Kanazbah Crotty called the presentation “a commitment to action, to justice, and to protecting our children and families.” The task force is collaborating with AIIC to schedule a series of training sessions to help Tribal law enforcement officials, educators, and community members be better prepared in cases of missing Indigenous children. It plans to integrate AIIC training programs into its regular meetings. 

The FBI is surging resources to investigate unsolved cases in Indian Country, including those relating to missing and murdered Indigenous persons (MMIP). As part of “Operation Not Forgotten,” 60 FBI agents will be temporarily deployed to 10 field offices nationwide to work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions. The BIA’s Missing and Murdered Unit and the FBI will use advanced forensic technology in their efforts. The FBI’s Indian Country program had about 4,300 open investigations at the beginning of fiscal year 2025. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said that the collaboration will “help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve.” This is the third deployment under the operation, which has provided investigative support to more than 500 cases in the past two years and resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims and 52 arrests. Frank Star Comes Out, President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, said he welcomes the additional resources, but added “we’re not done yet.” 

The disappearance and murder of a 14-year-old girl prompted Arizona lawmakers to pass “Emily’s Law,” establishing a new emergency alert for missing Indigenous persons. The Arizona Legislature had been considering a “Turquoise Alert” system when Emily Pike, a San Carlos Apache teen, was found murdered after she was reported missing from a group home in late January. Her case prompted lawmakers to amend the original bill to include minors under the age of 18 and name the legislation in her memory. “We cannot let children go missing without somebody being alerted,” said Rep. Teresa Martinez, the bill’s sponsor. The Arizona measure follows closely on the heels of a “Turquoise Alert” the New Mexico Legislature unanimously passed. The alerts, which function similar to an AMBER Alert, provide a rapid response when an Indigenous person is reported missing and there is evidence of imminent danger. Washington, California, and Colorado have similar alerts 

Changes in how the Guyana Police Force responds to missing persons reports are delivering results, with a stepped-up focus on children. Three missing persons cases were reported to be resolved about a week after new emergency protocols went into effect in late April. The revised procedures enable a faster, more coordinated national response to missing persons reports. Reports involving missing children are automatically categorized as high risk and automatically trigger a “Red Alert” that activates a coordinated national response. All missing persons cases now receive immediate response, eliminating the 24-hour waiting period previously in place. Additionally, police officers work closely with the Guyana’s Child Care and Protection Agency and other key entities. The changes stem from an 11-year-old girl’s drowning in a hotel swimming pool. 

Law enforcement officials wanting to stay updated on the issue of International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA) can glean the latest information from the U.S. Department of State’s 2025 annual report. The report, which was submitted to Congress, discusses compliance with The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. That treaty provides a framework for cooperation between countries to promptly return a child wrongfully removed or retained across international borders and to help ensure custody rights. The report uses standards set by the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2014 (known as “the Goldman Act”) to evaluate countries on their performance. A foreword in the report notes that Georgia was welcomed as a new treaty partner in 2024.

A search for two young siblings missing in a heavily wooded area near their Nova Scotia home prompted the Canadian Broadcast Corporation to tap Robert Koester, author and app creator of Lost Person Behavior, for insight on what search-and-rescue teams face. Koester, who is also a search mission coordinator with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, said the first thing searchers need to consider are the basics of a solid investigation, such as the child’s age, scenario, timeline, and what caused them to go missing. Searchers can apply that information to statistics to identify high probability areas. For example, half of lost 4- to 6-year-olds—the ages of the missing siblings—are typically found less than one-half mile away, Koester said. Among his insights: Be aware that a child may not shout back when a searcher is shouting their name and may actively hide because they may be afraid or think they’re in trouble. Thick underbrush “may look impenetrable to you as the adult searcher standing up at five feet. But if you’re down at between one and three feet, you may see a way to scramble underneath … So all those places need to be searched,” Koester said.