Success Stories
The following are some of the inspiring success stories of the Amber Alert Web Portal (AAWP) since its inception in 2003. While over 200 children have been successfully returned thanks to Alerting systems, these are some of the most notable:
- In November 2004, a 12-year-old girl was abducted from her school by an acquaintance in Somerset, Kentucky. Using a tip provided from the Alert issued by AAWP, law enforcement located the vehicle in question and apprehended the suspect. The child was safely recovered.
- In September 2006, a seven-day-old girl was abducted from her home in Franklin County, Missouri and claimed as the child of the suspect. One of the abductor’s relatives noticed makeup on the baby’s forehead and removed it, revealing a birthmark that had been featured in the Alert issued by AAWP. She notified authorities and the suspect was apprehended, while the infant was safely reunited with her family.
- In January 2007, a 13-year-old boy was abducted near his home in Beaufort, Missouri, about 60 miles southwest of St. Louis. Using information distributed by the AAWP, law enforcement officers found the boy four days later at the apartment of his abductor. In addition, they found a 15-year-old who had been kidnapped by the same man four years earlier. Both boys were returned safely to their parents and the abductor was sentenced to life in prison.
- In July 2007, three children ages 14 days, nine years and 11 years were forced out of their mother’s car by an acquaintance in Meridian, Idaho. Within one hour of an Alert being issued by the AAWP, an officer in Ontario, Oregon located the vehicle used in the abduction and the children were returned safely. Because both Idaho and Oregon are members of the AAWP, the alert went out to law enforcement in both states and doubled the chances that the children would be recovered.
