A rare four-state AMBER Alert was issued on July 13, 2011, shortly after three people were murdered and a suspect took off with a hostage and a baby. Twenty-three-year-old Matthew Slocum allegedly shot and killed his mother, stepfather, and stepbrother and then set their White Creek, New York, house on fire. He then forced his 23-year-old girlfriend Loretta Colegrove and their 4-month-old son Raymond Slocum into his car as he fled.

New York officials issued an AMBER Alert at 1:42 p.m. because they believed the child was in imminent danger. Law enforcement authorities learned from a family member that Slocum was in Massachusetts attempting to sell numerous weapons.

“We have never activated an AMBER Alert when we knew the suspect was not in the state,” said New York AMBER Alert Coordinator Gary Kelly. “We also knew he might head to Connecticut, and we figured it would be very simple for him to jump back to New York to get to Connecticut.”

Kelly asked his counterparts in Massachusetts and Connecticut to issue AMBER Alerts. Massachusetts AMBER Alert Coordinator Nicole Morrell said the case clearly met her state's criteria, and she decided without hesitation to issue an alert.

“Gary contacted me directly, which saved a lot of time overall,” said Morrell. “Trying to reach the right person can be problematic, but we are fortunate that the Northeast states know each other so well.”

Connecticut State Police Sgt. Corinne Sandberg was also quick to issue an alert once she received the details.

“It is a matter of trust,” said Sandberg. “We are all law enforcement, and we all have to work together. We are going to get the AMBER Alert out every time.”

During those first frantic hours, information also came in that the suspect could also be headed to New Hampshire. Within minutes, New Hampshire became the fourth state to issue an AMBER Alert.

“Time is critical in these cases,” said New Hampshire AMBER Alert Coordinator Jill Rockey. “Trust your peers. If their alert matches your criteria and you have information the child has entered your state, then activate the alert as soon as possible. The faster the public gets the information, the sooner the child is located.”

At 6:23 p.m., the suspect's vehicle was found in Gilsum, New Hampshire. However, the suspect and the victims were not found. All four states decided to keep the alert active.

“As soon as New Hampshire notified us they had the vehicle, we held off canceling the alert until we knew they had the child,” said Sandberg. She said another recent AMBER Alert had been canceled prematurely when the suspect and vehicle had been found, but it was unclear whether the child was safe.

“Once we heard the vehicle was found in New Hampshire, we removed it from our sign boards but replaced it with a generic AMBER Alert message to keep the public engaged,” said Morrell. “We had a strong feeling they were in New Hampshire, but there is always that small chance they found other means of transportation.”

Looking back, Kelly said it was a mistake to put out an update stating that authorities were no longer looking for the vehicle.

“The abductor could hear that on the radio,” said Kelly. “We should have just kept taking vehicle sighting calls without jeopardizing the investigation.”

By 9:30 p.m., SWAT teams found Slocum hiding in a relative's home near where the vehicle was found. Police ordered Slocum to surrender, and a half hour later, Colegrove emerged from the home clutching her baby.

“I am just glad my daughter and my grandchild are safe,” said James Sicotte, Colegrove's stepfather, to reporters.

Communication became crucial during the AMBER Alert involving 4 states. Most of the coordinators credit their ability to react quickly to the relationships developed at the National AMBER Alert Symposiums.

“The relationships developed at the annual conferences pay off huge dividends,” said Kelly. “We did not have to jump through hoops or look for numbers because we had already met and knew each other and trusted each other.”

“The National AMBER Alert Symposiums were absolutely beneficial in building reliable contacts especially amongst our Northeast states,” added Morrell. “The relationships remain strong and we can, without hesitation, rely on one other for help.”

Sandberg began working with Connecticut's AMBER Alert Plan in January but had never met the other coordinators or been to a symposium. She said she learned a lot from the previous AMBER Alert Coordinator and from AMBER Alert reviews held earlier that year.

“We want to improve the AMBER Alert Plan. Even if the alert went flawlessly, we want to find out what worked and why,” said Sandberg.

Slocum faces three second-degree murder charges in connection with the deaths of his 44-year-old mother, Lisa Harrington; her husband, Dan Harrington, 41; and Dan Harrington's son, Joshua O'Brien, 24. Slocum's attorney has claimed he was not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect or because he suffered an “extreme emotional disturbance” before the killings.