Lakeside 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.
Missouri’s notification system used for AMBER Alerts will now also be used for Blue Alerts, an alert that notifies the public when a law enforcement member is killed or seriously injured. The Blue Alerts will include photos and descriptions of the suspects and vehicles and will be sent to people who signed up for Mo-Alerts at moalerts.mo.gov.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) is encouraging residents to subscribe to ‘Mo-Alerts’ for immediate receipt of AMBER Alerts issued in the state. MSHP launched the upgraded AMBER Alert system in December 2019 which streamlines the process for faster public alerting. The new system was first used on January 17, 2020, for a 2-year-old child. A resident saw the AMBER Alert and the child was located minutes after the alert was issued. Missouri residents can sign up at moalerts.mo.gov/.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed “Hailey’s Law,” that requires law enforcement officers to issue AMBER Alerts electronically and that an annual evaluation of the state’s child abduction alert program is conducted. The law is named after 10-year-old Hailey Owens, who was kidnapped and murdered in 2014.
More than 100 children in Hannibal, Missouri, signed up for the free MoChip Child ID Program on August 18, 2018. The program provides digital photos, fingerprints and dental bite impressions on a CD, along with personal and emergency information on an ID card.
A Missouri man is facing charges after reportedly ramming a vehicle and firing at a driver he suspected was wanted in connection with an Iowa AMBER Alert. Matthew Golden was traveling on Interstate 80 when he heard the alert for two missing boys from Toronto, Iowa. The alert included information about a 2006 Hyundai Sonata with Illinois license plates. Police say Golden rammed a white panel van with Florida plates more than once and then fired two shots at the driver. The driver was not injured.
A Joplin, Missouri, man is being remembered for his work in creating a local form of the AMBER Alert. John Cruzan passed away on May 8, 2018. Before local police in Missouri completed their work on that state's AMBER Alert system, Cruzan created a website for local law enforcement to use in posting information and photos of missing children. While this local alerting system was decommissioned when other state and national alerting technologies were implemented, Cruzan's efforts were recognized by Missouri law enforcement and citizens as important, and his generosity remembered in developing the local alerting system.
The mayor of Godfrey Township, Missouri, heard about nearby Alton Police Department's request to buy four license plate recognition cameras and handed over a $13,400 check to help pay for them. “As one community goes, the other community goes,” said Mayor Mike McCormik. “We need success in Alton just like Alton needs successful things in Godfrey.” The cameras will be placed on a bridge and will be used to capture any vehicle tagged for an AMBER Alert or vehicles suspected in connection with other crimes. The information is shared with 14 police and sheriff's departments in Illinois and Missouri.
Two Missouri lawmakers are again trying to pass “Hailey's Law,” a bill that would require the state's AMBER Alert Oversight Committee to meet at least annually. The law is named for 10-year-old Hailey Owens, who was abducted and murdered in Springfield, Missouri, in 2014. The trial for her alleged killer was scheduled to begin October 30, 2017.
Missouri Governor Eric Greitens signed a bill into law in July 2017 creating a Blue Alert system for the state. The Blue Alert sends out emergency notices to quickly find suspects accused of shooting police officers. The bill was a response to the multiple police officers who have been shot in Missouri in the past year. Governor Greitens noted that 27 other states now have Blue Alerts.
The parents of a 10-year-old girl who was abducted and murdered 3 years ago are asking Missouri legislators to change the state's AMBER Alert system. The parents of Hailey Owens and the parents of the alleged suspect are supporting “Hailey's Law” which would integrate the AMBER Alert System with two other law enforcement computer systems so officers could enter incident information digitally. Both families say more could have been done to save Owens if the AMBER Alert, including the suspect's license plate number, had gone out earlier. The bill has been given the green light by a Missouri House of Representatives committee.
Law enforcement officials in Christian County, Missouri, and Fort Wayne and Allen Counties in Indiana are encouraging residents to use a new app to help find missing children. The Swift 911 app can be used to help notify the public while officers are working to determine if the case meets the criteria for effective issuance of an AMBER Alert.
Allen County Sheriff David Gladieux said he was not pleased about the time it took to approve and activate a recent AMBER Alert and thought the new system would help prevent any delays.
The app has been used in Christian County to find missing children as well as to notify the public about weather events, gas leaks, bomb threats and other emergencies. The app sends messages by text, email, social media and phone to users in a specific geographical area.
Family, friends, and law enforcement officers held a birthday celebration on August 18, 2016, on what would have been Hailey Owens’ 13th birthday. An AMBER Alert was issued after Owens was abducted and ultimately murdered two-and-a-half years ago. The Missouri State Highway Patrol marked the event by announcing a new software program to make the AMBER Alert more effective and timely.