The Cherokee Indian Police Department in Cary, North Carolina, received an AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) Technology Toolkit that includes a computer, camera and other digital technology resources to help law enforcement officers and investigators in missing and abducted child cases. The Toolkit initiative is funded through AIIC work that is part of the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act. AATTAP Administrator Janell Rasmussen said the award recognizes the evolving cooperation between state and tribal agencies. “It’s unusual to see such a phenomenal partnership between a state agency and a Tribe, and there is great work being done here,” Rasmussen said.

States can now apply for federal funding for the Ashanti Alert pilot program. The Ashanti Alert notifies the public about missing or endangered adults, ages 18-64, and sets up a national communications network to assist law enforcement in the search. The Bureau of Justice Assistance will make $1 million in technical assistance available to facilitate and expedite the development of statewide Ashanti Alert programs. The alert is named after Ashanti Billie, the 19-year-old college student was abducted and murdered in North Carolina in 2017.

Lumberton, North Carolina, police said false information being shared by the public about an AMBER Alert case hampered their investigation. An alert was issued for Hania Aguilar on November 5, 2018, after she was abducted from her home. People started spreading stories that a girl who looked like the victim was in Charlotte. Police said there was no reason to believe the information was correct. The 13-year-old was found dead one month later in the same county as her home.

North Carolina will now issue a Blue Alert when seeking a suspect after a law enforcement officer is violently attacked. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol will send information about the suspect and the suspect's vehicle in the alert. The Blue Alert system is a voluntary effort of state law enforcement, broadcasters, transportation, lottery and the Center for Missing Persons.

A North Carolina woman was sentenced to a year in prison for claiming her 3-year-old son had been abducted, which led to the issuance of a statewide AMBER Alert. In May 2008, Rosnah Hassan Thomason told authorities that her son was missing from a flea market. Authorities later found that she was not the mother of the child, and he was safe with a relative.