I got an AMBER Alert on my phone earlier, and this is why

Metcalfe County death investigation prompts Amber Alert

Kentucky State Police issued an Amber Alert for two children who are missing after two people were found dead Tuesday in rural Metcalfe County.

The children, 12-year-old Kyra Shockley and 15-year-old Christopher Endicott, may be traveling in a white 1997 Chevy Lumina with Kentucky license plate 843 GMM, police said. The car has paint peeling from the trunk and hood, one inoperable daytime running light and a missing trunk lock.

Kyra is white, weighs 110 pounds, stands 4-foot-8 and has blonde hair and hazel eyes, according to the police description. She wears black glasses adorned on the side with pink diamonds and her left eye is scarred.

Christopher is white, 5-foot-11 and weighs 250 pounds. He has a blonde buzz haircut and green eyes and was last seen wearing blue jeans, a T-shirt and a dark baseball cap.

Trooper Billy Gregory, a state police spokesman, said one of the children may be related to one of the people found dead, and they may be with a suspect in the death investigation.

Anyone with information on the children’s whereabouts is asked to call (800) 262-3717.

I don't normally copy an entire news story, but all of this information is pretty much listed in the alert itself, and the descriptions and phone number are important. Here's hoping they are found and the case is resolved soon.

PS The two were found. The fifteen-year-old has been arrested for the murder of a couple who were distant relatives and who had recently received custody of him. The twelve-year-old is back with her family.

Every Monday Matters #3

Have AMBER Alerts Sent to You

From the website:

FACTS

• AMBER stands for “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response” and was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and then brutally murdered.
  
• 76% of abducted children who are murdered are dead within 3 hours of the abduction, 88.5% are dead within 24 hours, and 99% are dead within 7 days.
  
• 443 children have been reunited with their families because of AMBER Alerts.
  
• Nearly 100% of cell phones are eligible to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts as text messages.
  
• 100% of computers can have the AMBER Alert ticker downloaded onto them.
  
• AMBER Alerts are active in all 50 states.
  

TAKE ACTION TODAY

• Pay attention to AMBER Alert signs on the freeway or on TV.
  
• Sign-up to receive AMBER Alert text messaging on your cell phone.
  
• Download the AMBER Alert Ticker onto your computer.
  
• If you see or receive an AMBER Alert, don’t take it lightly. The perpetrator might be closer than you think.
  

As mentioned the other day, Facebook is also now a source of AMBER alerts. All 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands have an AMBER Alert Facebook page. Just search out that page and either 'like' or join to get the alerts.

I've had the ticker on this website for years, but until I read this did not realise I could get alerts on my cell phone, so I signed up for it this morning. It's very easy. You only get alerts for your area, and their privacy policy includes not selling your number to third parties but only using it for the process of sending alerts.

In Kentucky, just as an aside, our lottery machines send out alerts. I discovered this when I was a gas station attendant. I think this is marvelous. Of course many places put it on the radio, TV, and even signs on the freeway as well. We are all responsible for the safety of children, and collectively we can help protect them from harm. Be sure you have the tools to know when an abduction has occurred. You never know when you can make a difference.

Given Facebook's scope, this could be a very good thing

Facebook to Send AMBER Alerts to Users

AMBER Alerts will now be sent out via Facebook, in an effort to bring more abducted children home safely.
Facebook, The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) announced in a press conference today a new partnership to disseminate the alerts. Tomorrow is the 15th anniversary of the kidnapping and murder of the little girl for whom the AMBER Alert Program is named.

If you're in Kentucky:

Kentucky Amber Alert Facebook Page (just hit 'Like' to get updates)

Otherwise, just search for your own area's page on Facebook and like or become a fan of it. This is the best AMBER-related idea I've seen since I realised that our state's lottery machines sent AMBER alerts to all those convenience store clerks. :)

Well, that's good

They found Breanna Woodside, the little girl who was the subject of our local AMBER alert. She and her father were found in Monterey, Mexico and are being transported to Texas. Kidnapping across state lines is bad. Is it worse if you take the child out of the country?

Okay, good night for real this time. :)

This AMBER alert came over our lottery machine at work yesterday

From Code Amber:

The State of Kentucky issued the Amber Alert on Saturday (2-28) after the suspect failed to return the girl following visitation in Frankfort on Friday. The suspect is considered armed and dangerous and has suicidal tendencies according to Police.

Breanna Woodside is a white female, 2 years old, 3 ft. tall and weighs 35 pounds. She has straight blonde hair past her shoulders, and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing purple sweatpants, a purple and pink striped shirt, a black jacket with pink lining, and blue shoes.

The suspect is Miles Woodside, a 30 year old white male, 6'1'' and weighs 190 pounds. He has red hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing loose-fitting blue jeans, and tennis shoes. He has a tattoo with symbols between his upper shoulders.

The suspect vehicle is a silver 1997 Lincoln Towncar with KY tag number 064BAA.

Anyone with information is asked to call Frankfort Police Department at 502-875-8582 or dial 911.

Go to this link or click on the yellow ticker above during the alert to get pictures of the child and father. Please, if you have any information, contact the police and help get this little girl back home.

Whenever the ticker at the top of the page is yellow

There's an Amber alert in place (or being cancelled), and it's always good to check on the details by clicking the ticker if you're anywhere in the area. Tonight one drew my attention and it turns out it involves a child who was abducted from her own home in the middle of the night. A five-year-old girl named Haleigh Cummings disappeared from her bedroom some time after 3 AM Tuesday morning in Satsuma, Florida. Satsuma is approximately 75 miles east of Gainsville. We're not in proximity, but it's easy to get from Florida to Kentucky via I-75.

Haleigh is a white female, 3 feet tall, weighs 39 pounds and has blonde hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and underwear. Anyone with any information are urged to call the Putnam County Sheriff's office at (386) 329-0808 or dial 911. A picture can be found at: http://www.codeamber.org/cummingsfl/. For more information about the ticker and the service, go to http://www.codeamber.org. You can put a ticker on your own website or be alerted on a mobile phone as well.

One thing Kentucky does that I had no idea about until I became a gas station atttendant is that Amber alerts come over the lottery machines. Most gas stations in the state sell lottery tickets, and it's a perfect way to alert people who are most likely to see suspicious vehicles and persons along a roadway.