U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

810 Seventh Street NW.

Washington, DC 20531

Eric H. Holder, Jr.

Attorney General

Laurie O. Robinson

Assistant Attorney General

Jeff Slowikowski

Acting Administrator

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Office of Justice Programs

Innovation • Partnerships • Safer Neighborhoods

www.ojp.usdoj.gov

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

ojjdp.gov

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice 

Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; 

the Community Capacity Development Office; the National Institute of Justice; the Office for 

Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, 

Registering, and Tracking (SMART).
®

Guide for 

Implementing or 

Enhancing an 

Endangered Missing 

Advisory

March 2011

NCJ 232001
This document was prepared under cooperative agreement number 2008–MC–CX–K028 from the Office 

of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or 

opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official 

position or policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justice.
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of the Assistant Attorney General

Washington, D.C. 20531

Message From Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson

As National AMBER Alert Coordinator, I have been privileged to work closely with our 

federal, tribal, state, local, and private-sector partners, who share the Department of Justice’s 

goal of returning every missing child to the safety of his or her home. I am encouraged by the 

significant progress attained through our collaborative efforts.

At the same time, I remain concerned that the cases of missing children that do not meet the 

high threshold for the issuance of an AMBER Alert do not always receive the coordinated search 

efforts they deserve. The same concern applies to missing persons older than 18, who fall outside 

AMBER Alert’s purview. 

The Endangered Missing Advisory (EMA) was crafted in 2005 to fill this gap. At the time, 

only five states had a plan to address it. Today, 34 states have enacted EMA plans. 

As AMBER Alerts are widely known, they have contributed greatly to the recovery of hundreds 

of missing children. However, there is little public awareness of the role played by EMAs and 

inadequate professional recognition of best practices regarding their implementation.

The information provided in these pages promotes these ends, and I commend it for your 

consideration. 

Laurie O. Robinson

Assistant Attorney General
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory v

Foreword

The unauthorized absence of a child from the home is a family crisis that requires immediate and collaborative attention. Over the past two decades the AMBER Alert Program has grown into a nationally 

coordinated effort under the Office of Justice Programs, which has significantly improved the strategies 

and the methods for recovering endangered and abducted children. More than 500 children have been 

returned home as a result of AMBER Alert plans, which have been established in every state. 

Despite such progress, however, gaps remain in the recovery of missing children whose cases do not 

meet the strict criteria for AMBER Alert and of missing adults, whose cases are not covered by AMBER 

Alert. To assist communities in closing these gaps, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has initiated a project to help states, communities, and law enforcement agencies develop a strategy 

in which the Endangered Missing Advisory (EMA) plays a crucial role.

This guide provides AMBER Alert coordinators, law enforcement, and public safety professionals with an 

effective and efficient way to implement an EMA plan. It offers recommendations to assist law enforcement in developing strategies to recover missing children and adults and includes relevant findings to 

inform policymakers’ efforts to address the problem.

It is my hope and conviction that adoption of the recommendations set forth in these pages will enable 

communities to implement a comprehensive and practical approach to recovering missing children 

and adults. 

Jeff Slowikowski

Acting Administrator

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory vii

Acknowledgments

This guide was prepared by Paul Murphy, consultant, Fox Valley Technical College. The following individuals also helped prepare this guide: Carolyn Allen, Gus Paidousis, and Scott Troxel, consultants, Fox Valley 

Technical College; Robert Hoever, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; and Lynda Lantz, senior 

writer, FirstPic, Inc.

We are grateful to the AMBER Alert coordinators and partners who have provided stories, input, and inspiration on how to find missing people who do not fit the AMBER Alert criteria.

Special thanks and recognition also go to Joann Donnellan and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for the groundbreaking handbook that helped numerous states and communities create an 

AMBER Alert plan (Donnellan, 2001). This handbook was used as a template for the criteria that AMBER 

Alert partners should consider for issuing an Endangered Missing Advisory.
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory ix

Contents

Message From Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson ...... iii

Foreword.................................................................................................. v

Acknowledgments ................................................................................ vii

Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered 

Missing Advisory..................................................................................... 1

Introduction.................................................................................... 1

How To Use This Document ........................................................ 2

What Is the Endangered Missing Advisory?............................... 2

Developing an EMA Plan .............................................................. 3

Activating an EMA......................................................................... 8

Building and Sustaining the EMA Plan..................................... 10

Conclusion.................................................................................... 11

References.................................................................................... 11

Appendix 1. Resources ......................................................................... 13

Appendix 2. Endangered Missing Advisory Examples...................... 17

Appendix 3. Sample Plans.................................................................... 23

Appendix 4. Sample Press Releases.................................................... 29
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 1

Implementing or Enhancing an 

Endangered Missing Advisory

Introduction

On February 2, 2004, 11-year-old Carlie Brucia 

called her parents from a friend’s house to tell 

them she was on her way home. When she did 

not show up, Carlie’s parents called the police 

and reported their daughter missing. Because 

the police did not have evidence that Carlie was 

abducted, they did not issue an AMBER Alert. The 

police suspected that Carlie may have run away. 

The following day, the owner of a carwash near 

Carlie’s home found a disturbing scene on the facility’s surveillance video. It showed a husky man 

snatching Carlie’s arm and whisking her away. 

Once the authorities viewed the video, an AMBER 

Alert was issued immediately. Unfortunately, critical time had been lost. Joseph Smith, a man with 

a long criminal history, raped Carlie and strangled 

her to death. He left her body near a church located a mile from the carwash. He was caught, convicted, and sentenced to death. 

The Carlie Brucia case and many others like it 

raised the question: what can be done in a situation that does not meet the strict criteria of the 

AMBER Alert Program? This guide is offered as a 

resource to law enforcement and child protection 

professionals to answer this question.

The AMBER Alert Program began in 1997. During 

the first 6 years of the program, the alert saved 

a total of 31 children. In 2003, President George 

W. Bush signed the Prosecutorial Remedies and 

Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children 

Today (PROTECT) Act. This comprehensive child 

protection legislation called for the creation of a 

national, seamless network of AMBER coordinators. Through federal funding, at least 120 local, 

regional, tribal, and state AMBER Alert plans are 

in operation today, including statewide plans in 

every state. 

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office 

of Justice Programs, developed general recommended criteria for law enforcement agencies 

to use and/or modify for their specific needs 

to help first responders and officers determine 

whether an AMBER Alert should be issued when 

a child is reported missing. The efficiency of the 

program and the number of children rescued by 

alerts increased dramatically after these criteria 

were standardized and the program was adopted 

nationwide. 

The AMBER Alert system has succeeded beyond 

all expectations. From 2003 to August 2010, 

AMBER Alerts helped directly in the safe recovery 

of 518 children in the United States.1

 However, 

AMBER Alerts are not issued for individuals who 

do not meet the criteria. In these cases, states and 

local communities that want to take a proactive 

role in helping rescue missing and endangered 

persons might consider developing or enhancing 

an Endangered Missing Advisory (EMA).

EMAs are now being adopted across the country 

in a manner that is similar to that of the AMBER 

Alert. A 2005 survey found that five states had 

formal response plans for cases that did not meet 

the AMBER Alert criteria. In 2006, DOJ initiated 

the Endangered Missing Persons Project, which 

encouraged the development of a nationwide 

plan. A 2009 survey found that 34 states had formal EMA plans—16 states without age restrictions 

and 18 states with age restrictions. Most plans 

with age restrictions involve senior citizens.

States with an EMA plan offered numerous examples of children and adults who were recovered 

after an advisory was issued (exact numbers are 

not available because advisories are not subject 

to the same reporting requirements as AMBER 

Alerts). More detailed information will become 

1

 As recorded by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
available as EMA plans become standardized 

(Murphy, 2009).

How To Use This 

Document 

The EMA, which is similar to the AMBER Alert, 

brings together law enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and others in 

a voluntary partnership to enlist the aid of the 

public in finding a missing person. The EMA can 

be issued to help find a missing person who may 

be in danger but does not fit the AMBER Alert 

criteria.

This guide offers issues for consideration, potential problems, and recommended partnerships 

to establish a task force and set up an EMA plan. 

The first section of the guide focuses on developing an EMA plan, and the second section discusses the steps involved in activating an EMA. 

The final section addresses the critical issues of 

building and sustaining support for the EMA plan. 

The guide also features examples of EMA plans, 

press releases, and real-life examples of how the 

EMA was used to help save missing people.

What Is the Endangered 

Missing Advisory? 

The EMA is a tool that gives law enforcement and 

other key partners a formal action plan to safely 

recover missing children who do not fit the 

AMBER Alert criteria. It also provides a way to 

help recover missing adults in cases where no 

systematic recovery plan exists. Law enforcement 

can choose between AMBER and EMA based on 

the individual case and the appropriate criteria.

The EMA is designed to provide a rapid response 

to safely recover missing persons who may be in 

danger. Issuance of an EMA can help raise awareness of the dangers that missing persons face and 

reduce the pressure on police to issue an AMBER 

Alert in cases that do not fit the criteria. More 

important, the EMA provides a strategy for law 

enforcement to notify the public and save lives.

Many missing children do not fit the criteria for 

an AMBER Alert but may, nonetheless, be endangered. The federal government’s most comprehensive report found that 1,682,900 youth either 

ran away from home or were thrown away by 

their caretaker during a single year. An estimated 

1,190,900 youth (71 percent) could have been endangered because of substance abuse, sexual or 

physical abuse, the presence of criminal activity, 

or because the child was age 13 or younger 

(Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention, 2002). 

Another study found that 68.7 percent of all child 

abduction homicides began as a missing child 

or runaway report (McKenna, 2006). This study 

found that one out of five child abduction homicide victims are already dead before police are 

even notified.

A strategy such as the EMA, which can be issued 

more quickly than an AMBER Alert, can be used 

to notify the public in a timely manner while investigators determine whether a case meets the 

AMBER Alert criteria. A 2007 report shows that 

of 227 AMBER Alerts, 4 (2 percent) were issued 

within the first hour of the child being reported 

abducted or missing, 36 (16 percent) were issued during the first 3 hours, and 44 (19 percent) 

were issued within the first 24 hours (National 

Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 2007). 

Meanwhile, nearly half (44 percent) of children in 

child abduction homicides are dead in less than 

an hour after abduction. In child abduction cases 

where homicide is the outcome, three out of four 

children are murdered within the first 3 hours 

(Washington State Office of the Attorney General, 

1997). Time is the enemy in child abduction cases, 

and the first few hours are critical in the investigation. However, most child abductions do not end 

in homicide, and every effort should be made to 

find the child no matter how long he or she has 

been missing. 

Because adults do not fit the AMBER Alert criteria but may be missing and endangered, they 

may benefit from a different type of alert system. 

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an 

estimated 5.2 million people have Alzheimer’s 

disease. The association reports that 6 out of 10 

2 Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 3

people with Alzheimer’s disease will wander from 

their homes or care facilities and as many as half 

of them will suffer serious injury or death if they 

are not found within 24 hours (Alzheimer’s Association Statement on Silver Alert, 2008). 

When an EMA is initiated, the following should 

take place:

✦ Notification of local law enforcement and 

the media.

✦ Distribution of fliers with photographs and 

information.

✦ Notification of local residents by automated 

phone calls.

✦ Activation of a Child Abduction Response 

Team (CART), if appropriate. 

✦ Notification of the National Crime Information 

Center (NCIC) if the person is younger than 

age 21.

✦ Preparation of search and rescue teams for 

response.

Developing an EMA Plan

To develop an EMA plan, a jurisdiction must do 

the following:

✦ Establish a task force.

✦ Select a title for the plan.

✦ Select the type of plan. 

✦ Establish criteria for the EMA. 

✦ Determine responsibilities for law enforcement agencies.

✦ Coordinate with the Child Abduction 

Response Team.

✦ Develop a major case-response plan.

✦ Coordinate activation of the plan. 

✦ Establish an EMA protocol for news agencies.

✦ Decide on a review board.

✦ Develop and implement training for law 

enforcement and the media.

✦ Test the EMA plan.

✦ Coordinate press announcements.

✦ Develop contact lists.

Each of these tasks is discussed below.

Establish a Task Force

Since every state has an AMBER Alert plan, the 

components of an EMA task force may already 

be in place. The task force should include key 

AMBER Alert stakeholders, such as representatives from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; emergency communication 

committee members; broadcasters and representatives from media outlets; and transportation 

and emergency management personnel. Law enforcement representatives should be informed 

that it does not cost anything to issue an EMA 

and media representatives should be assured 

that an EMA is voluntary and provided as a public 

service.

It is critical to cultivate good relationships with the 

media because a plan will not work without their 

cooperation. Broadcast general managers, operations managers, program directors, and news 

directors are important contacts because they 

are the decisionmakers for their organizations. 

The president of the broadcasters association in 

a state or the Radio Television Digital News Association can act as a liaison for broadcasters. 

Newspaper editors and media webmasters are 

also important because many people use the Internet to obtain information. Members of the EMA 

task force should also determine if there are any 

CARTs in the area and, if so, work closely with 

them. 
In addition, state legislators, congressional representatives, and other community leaders can 

provide valuable support when an EMA is implemented. They can help create public awareness 

about the issue and how the EMA works. Their involvement may also help prevent any legislation 

or ordinances that may interfere or cause confusion when implementing the plan. 

Ultimately, individuals involved in implementing 

an EMA should remember that it is a tool that 

can assist law enforcement with a critical missing 

person investigation. Law enforcement authorities 

will ultimately decide when and how to best use 

this tool. 

The task force is responsible for the following:

✦ Developing criteria and procedures for the 

EMA.

✦ Strategically launching the EMA.

✦ Providing training and technical assistance 

for law enforcement, the media, and the community on how to use the EMA appropriately. 

✦ Overseeing the EMA’s operation and 

effectiveness.

✦ Ensuring that EMAs are distributed in a 

timely fashion.

✦ Developing ways to test and ensure that 

notifications are effective.

✦ Creating materials that incorporate the EMA 

into AMBER Alert training.

✦ Cultivating good public relations for the EMA.

✦ Meeting regularly to review and evaluate 

procedures.

✦ Chronicling the successes and shortcomings 

of the plan. 

Select a Title for the Plan 

Deciding on a title for an EMA plan can be a difficult task. The goal is to choose a title that does 

not cause confusion about the notification of an 

AMBER Alert. “AMBER Alert” has become a name 

associated with abducted children, and the title of 

the EMA plan should not dilute the power or the 

effectiveness of the AMBER Alert notification. 

Like an AMBER Alert, the title should convey that 

a person is missing, in danger, and in need of a 

coordinated and public effort to ensure their safe 

recovery. The ultimate goal is for all states to eventually adopt a single title that will be recognized 

immediately when a person is missing and in 

danger. 

Select the Type of Plan 

The task force members should decide whether 

a plan will be most effective if it is local, regional, 

or statewide. The type of plan selected should be 

based on the current AMBER Alert plan; the presence of leadership to implement and coordinate 

the plan or event; the area’s geography, population, and specific community needs; and the 

broadcast reach of television and radio stations. 

Certain critical missing cases require statewide 

coverage while others may require more localized 

coverage. 

Establish Criteria for the EMA 

The task force members should decide on the 

criteria for determining when to implement the 

EMA. The following criteria have been adopted by 

many states:

✦ Do the circumstances fail to meet the criteria 

for an AMBER Alert? (If they do meet the criteria for an AMBER Alert, immediately follow 

the protocol to issue an AMBER Alert.)

✦ Is the person missing under unexplained or 

suspicious circumstances?

4 Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 5

✦ Is the person believed to be in danger because of age, health, mental or physical 

disability, and environment or weather conditions; is he or she in the company of a potentially dangerous person; or is there any other 

factor that may put the person in peril?

✦ Is there information that could assist the public in the safe recovery of the missing person?

The task force may choose to expand or limit the 

criteria, depending on the types of circumstances 

it wants to include for activation and how often 

notifications are desired.

Determine Responsibilities for 

Law Enforcement Agencies 

Law enforcement agencies usually have protocols 

for investigating cases involving missing persons 

and abductions. The EMA can easily become a 

key component of the existing protocols. The use 

of effective and efficient protocols and policies 

can assist in the successful resolution of cases.

When a protocol is established, the partnering 

agencies can incorporate it into their agency 

guidelines to refer to in the event of an AMBER 

Alert or an EMA. A paper and/or electronic field 

form can help an investigator make note of important information while on the scene. It is important 

to remember that AMBER Alerts and EMAs are 

tools in a missing child investigation strategy. Development of a comprehensive investigative strategy requires careful consideration and planning. 

The National Center for Missing & Exploited 

Children’s (NCMEC’s) publication Missing and 

Abducted Children: A Law Enforcement Guide to 

Case Investigations and Program Management

describes different types of missing and abduction cases and provides checklists that offer stepby-step recommendations for successful case 

investigation. A free copy is available by calling 

1–800–THE–LOST (1–800–843–5678) or visiting 

www.ncmecpublications.org. In addition, DOJ 

provides training for all aspects of cases involving 

missing persons and abductions. A list of available 

DOJ trainings is available at www.amberalert.gov 

or www.amber-net.org.

Coordinate With the Child 

Abduction Response Team 

The Child Abduction Response Team is a multidisciplinary, multiagency coordinated response 

to the critical incident of a missing, endangered, 

and/or abducted child. Upon deployment, and depending on the makeup of the team, CART members can provide expertise in the following areas:

✦ Investigative strategies.

✦ Technology.

✦ Forensics.

✦ Search and rescue.

✦ Crime intelligence analysis.

✦ Other areas involving abducted and endangered children, including reunification and 

victim advocacy. 

Criteria for activating a CART are not limited to 

the criteria for an AMBER Alert, and similar criteria may be used for an EMA. Task force members 

should consider activating CARTs when EMAs are 

issued. 

Develop a Major 

Case-Response Plan 

Activating an EMA is a collaborative effort that involves all stakeholders. A 24-hour coordinated response plan should be in place to accommodate a 

crisis if it occurs. The EMA should include details 

about who will respond to the event and a review 

system to help responders know when to scale 

back the initial response efforts and resources. 

The investigating agency should do the following:

✦ Decide who in the department has the authority to activate or ask for the activation of an 
EMA. The names and contact information 

of the authorized personnel should be readily available and clearly posted within the 

agency.

✦ Obtain the following information for the form 

that will be distributed to broadcasters and 

the public:

• Name, age, and physical description of the 

endangered missing person.

• Description of the person’s clothing.

• Location and time that the person was last 

seen.

• Description of any vehicle that may be involved in the abduction or disappearance.

• Description of possible suspects.

• Last known direction of travel and possible 

destination.

• The investigating law enforcement agency 

and telephone number to call to report information about the case.

• The media representative’s name and contact information; it is critical to provide this 

information rather than that for the detective to avoid delays in the investigation. 

✦ Once the information about the victim and 

suspect has been confirmed, it should be 

provided to the appropriate law enforcement 

agency and the EMA should be distributed 

to the media and the public. Activation of the 

EMA can be authorized only by the law enforcement agency investigating the case or a 

law enforcement agency that has been designated to issue the advisory for that area.

✦ The investigating agency should obtain the 

most recent photograph of the endangered 

missing person as soon as possible. The photograph should be scanned and e-mailed for 

distribution to the media. Each photograph 

should receive careful attention to protect 

the dignity of the individual (e.g., if a child is 

wearing a bathing suit, a cropped picture of 

the face only is best). 

✦ Consider allocating additional resources. Officers may need to be reassigned from other 

units and the CART should be notified if it is 

available. Assistance from other municipal, 

county, state, and federal agencies may also 

be needed. A review of mutual aid policies 

should be considered. 

✦ Delegate a media liaison to coordinate information and interviews. The media liaison 

should be trained to deal with individuals 

who have no investigative input and he or 

she should be prepared for the possibility 

of two media briefings a day in high-profile 

cases. 

Coordinate Activation 

of the Plan 

The task force should consider adopting or 

modifying elements of the AMBER Alert plan to 

activate an EMA. The following methods may be 

modified for an EMA:

✦ E-mail notification. A Web portal or listserv 

will help ensure that the advisory e-mails go 

out in a timely manner. 

✦ Blast fax. Many plans use the Lost Child 

Alert Technology Resource (LOCATER) or 

other systems to send thousands of fliers 

with information and photographs. For 

more information on LOCATER, visit 

www.locaterposters.org.

✦ Automatic phone notification. This method 

can be used to contact thousands of residents 

in the area in which the person went missing. A number of task forces use a company 

called “A Child is Missing” to accomplish 

this task. For more information, visit 

www.achildismissing.org.

✦ National Weather Service (NWS). The NWS 

can send the EMA over its radio system. The 

NWS has sent AMBER Alerts over the radio 

at the request of state and local officials. This 

6 Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 7

method should only be considered as a backup to other means of notification.

The task force should also determine whether 

it would be beneficial to distribute information 

through other means that are used for AMBER 

Alerts. For example, the task force should consider the benefits and disadvantages of sending 

the EMA through the following means:

✦ Emergency Alert System (EAS). The EAS has 

been used to send EMA messages using the 

Administrative Message code (the Child Abduction Emergency code can only be used for 

AMBER Alerts). Broadcasters do not always 

pay attention to the Administrative Message, 

so this method should only be considered as 

a backup means of notification.

✦ Variable message signs. Electronic highway 

signs are also known as variable message 

signs and are usually used to notify motorists about traffic emergencies. The signs have 

been used for AMBER Alerts and may be considered for EMAs. 

✦ Highway Advisory Radio (HAR). These lowpower AM radio signals provide traffic information to motorists. The HAR has been used 

for AMBER Alerts and may be considered for 

EMAs. 

✦ Lottery tickets. Many states post information about missing and abducted persons on 

lottery terminals and print information for 

lottery customers. NOTE: When tickets are 

printed there are no means of cancellation. 

✦ Service providers. Trucking associations, taxicabs, school bus programs, delivery and repair services, and other businesses may help 

in the search.

✦ Business signs. Many businesses include 

AMBER Alerts on commercial signs and may 

be willing to include EMAs.

✦ Movie theaters. Some theaters will include 

AMBER Alerts and EMAs on the screen before a film begins. 

Establish an EMA Protocol for 

News Agencies 

Each jurisdiction should decide how frequently 

the EMA will be used. Some will treat the EMA 

as a “super press release” and will use it often to 

notify the public when a person is missing. Others 

will save it for more serious cases. Broadcasters 

are urged to notify the public about every EMA. 

However, broadcasters will determine on a caseby-case basis whether to break into programming 

and how much airtime to devote to the situation. 

When a news agency is involved in an EMA 

plan, it needs to develop a protocol for responding to the advisory. Time is critical because the 

more quickly the information is distributed to the 

community, the more quickly the case can be 

resolved. Once stations agree to be a part of the 

plan, they will broadcast the information that the 

investigating agency sends to them.

Before an EMA is distributed to participating media outlets, each outlet needs to coordinate how it 

will handle the information and by whom. A chain 

of command should be established to determine 

how the system will work so that an advisory can 

be broadcast as quickly as possible.

Television and radio stations should decide if designated personnel will break into programming 

immediately or wait for the first natural break in 

programming or until the next scheduled news 

broadcast. (Using wording such as “broadcasting during the first natural break” helps promote 

the EMA in a manner that does not interfere with 

normal programming.) When the television and/

or radio stations receive information, personnel 

will either read the copy as written or rewrite it in 

broadcast style, including all information that law 

enforcement provides. Since news outlets are not 

staffed 24 hours a day, a protocol should be developed to ensure the consistency of the plan.

Decide on a Review Board 

Members of the EMA task force can also serve as 

a review board for each EMA. An EMA may be 

used more often than an AMBER Alert because 
the criteria are broader and fit many more situations. Task force members should monitor the use 

of each EMA to track successes and failures. This 

will also help determine when a plan may need 

modifications as well as determine training needs 

and performance measures. 

Develop and Implement 

Training for Law Enforcement 

and the Media 

For an EMA to be effective, it is essential to provide training for law enforcement and the media, 

including broadcasters, before an announcement 

to the public takes place. Some states incorporate 

the EMA in their AMBER Alert training sessions 

and training materials. Scenario-based practical 

exercises are a good way to let law enforcement 

and the media know that alternatives are available when a case does not meet the AMBER Alert 

criteria. 

Test the EMA Plan 

A test of the EMA should be conducted with law 

enforcement and broadcasters to confirm that the 

advisory works. When testing the advisory, the 

standardized form should be highlighted to reflect 

that this is a test and not an actual case of an endangered missing person. 

The test should be used only with the equipment 

and personnel needed during an EMA. The EMA 

test should not be broadcast because this might 

create confusion with an AMBER Alert, which requires immediate broadcast notifications. 

Coordinate Press 

Announcements 

An official press announcement can be made after 

the plan has been tested. A news conference can 

also be held to explain to the public how the EMA 

works. The press conference should include representatives from the task force and, if possible, 

a parent or victim to speak out about the need for 

an EMA. All press and media events should be 

used to educate the public on EMAs and AMBER 

Alerts. The public will want to know about the 

differences between them. Sample press releases 

are shown in appendix 4. 

Public service announcements can also be used 

to help educate the public. 

Develop Contact Lists 

Communities should already have a complete list 

of law enforcement agencies and media outlets 

that participate in the AMBER Alert plan (NCMEC 

should be included in the list if the missing person is younger than age 21). The list can be used 

or modified for the EMA. Telephone numbers, 

fax numbers, and e-mail addresses should be 

compiled and updated regularly to make sure the 

advisory can be disseminated quickly. NCMEC 

can be reached through the 24-hour hotline at 

1–800–THE–LOST (1–800–843–5678), by e-mail at 

hotline@ncmec.org, or by fax at 703–274–2096. 

Activating an EMA 

Following are important points when activating 

an EMA:

✦ Establish phone banks.

✦ Notify law enforcement personnel.

✦ Notify NCMEC.

✦ Prepare for community reaction and 

response.

✦ Prepare for media reaction.

✦ Determine media responsibilities.

✦ Provide confidential phone and fax lines and 

e-mail addresses.

✦ Review activations.

Establish Phone Banks 

Before activating an EMA, it is critical that a hotline 

telephone bank be set up and staffed. Agencies 

8 Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 9

should be positioned to receive and process incoming leads, and hotline volunteers and personnel should be in place to take calls.

The law enforcement agency is responsible for 

assigning a telephone number for the EMA; the 

number can be made public when an advisory 

goes out. To avoid dropped calls, the number 

should be able to roll over into several separate 

lines to handle a large number of calls. In addition, every phone call should be tape recorded. 

No matter who answers the calls, a supervisor 

and an investigator should be present at the 

phone bank. It is critical for those who staff the 

phone bank to capture, maintain, and disseminate 

all leads to the proper personnel to ensure that no 

lead or call is missed. 

Notify Law Enforcement 

Personnel 

A supervisor within the law enforcement agency 

should be responsible for notifying agency personnel about the EMA and should be prepared to 

provide the details of the case. 

Notify NCMEC 

NCMEC should be notified if the victim is younger 

than age 21. This can be done through the 24-

hour hotline at 1–800–THE–LOST (1–800–843–

5678), by e-mail at hotline@ncmec.org, or by fax 

at 703–274–2096. 

Prepare for Community 

Reaction and Response 

The reaction from the community may be intense 

and overwhelming because most people want to 

help. It is important to be able to explain how an 

EMA is different from an AMBER Alert and that it 

can be just as effective in bringing a missing person home safely.

If viewers or listeners call the media and request 

an EMA, local news staff should refer callers to 

their local law enforcement agency to report 

the missing endangered person. News staff can 

explain to callers that only law enforcement decides whether to activate an EMA.

Prepare for Media Reaction 

Once the EMA is activated, media coverage can 

be overwhelming in some cases, especially for 

small law enforcement departments. A public 

information officer (PIO) should be appointed to 

work with the press. This will allow the chief executive officer who is overseeing the case to concentrate on the investigation. 

The PIO must be informed about the most current 

information so that he or she can provide the 

media with daily updates and media releases. 

PIOs should use the media as much as possible 

to receive maximum exposure for the case. 

Determine Media 

Responsibilities 

In any news organization, a report of an endangered missing person is often considered a 

breaking story. As with the AMBER Alert, each 

news outlet should have a coordinated plan that 

brings together the engineering, production, talent, and news-gathering departments. Although 

the media do not participate in the decisionmaking process that triggers an EMA, broadcasters, 

cable systems, and media outlets are critical to 

the program’s success. All members of the news 

staff should be aware of how the EMA works and 

understand the format by which the advisory will 

be sent out.

Provide Confidential Phone 

and Fax Lines and E-Mail 

Addresses 

Media outlets should have a confidential phone 

and fax line as well as an e-mail address from law 

enforcement to receive an EMA. This will eliminate the potential problem of false or misleading 

information being distributed. Authorized law enforcement personnel will maintain the confidential 

information. There should be more than one communication method in case one system is down 
(e.g., if the computer system is down, faxing the 

information should be an option). 

Review Activations 

After an EMA is activated, agencies should be 

prepared to provide a report to the EMA task 

force. The report should include reasons why the 

advisory was issued, details about what worked 

or did not work during the activation, and under 

what conditions the endangered missing person 

was found. 

The task force should then use the report to help 

determine any modifications needed to make 

the EMA more effective. Because investigations 

may be ongoing, law enforcement agencies may 

choose to divulge some of the information in person rather than putting it into a report that could 

be made public. 

Building and Sustaining 

the EMA Plan 

To build and sustain the EMA plan, the following 

must take place:

✦ Build community awareness.

✦ Obtain sponsorships.

✦ Involve other stakeholders.

✦ Create awareness.

Build Community Awareness 

Law enforcement agencies, the media, and broadcast agencies can educate the public on what to 

do when a person is missing and is believed to be 

in danger. For example, the public should know 

to call 911 immediately and also contact their 

local law enforcement agency. The law enforcement agency that answers the call should obtain 

detailed information from the caller regarding the 

circumstances of the missing person and any details about a potential suspect. The public should 

be taught what to do when they receive notices 

about these alerts and they should understand the 

difference between EMAs and AMBER Alerts. 

Key community leaders on the task force, as well 

as the missing children clearinghouse in each 

state, can impart useful information to the public 

and raise community awareness about EMAs. To 

find the missing children clearinghouse in each 

state, visit www.missingkids.com/lawenforcement 

and click on “Missing-Child Clearinghouse Program.” The clearinghouses can conduct presentations and distribute brochures to area civic 

organizations, schools, safety fairs, and other

appropriate venues.

Obtain Sponsorships 

Private-sector companies often want to attach 

themselves to the AMBER Alert and the EMA. 

Corporate partners can help underwrite the cost 

of brochures and videotapes for community 

awareness. To maintain the credibility of the plan, 

names of sponsors and supporters should not be 

included in EMA broadcasts.

Involve Other Stakeholders 

Communities can encourage local businesses to 

become involved in the EMA. Examples include 

municipal and school bus programs, taxi and 

delivery companies, couriers, repair services, and 

other companies and agencies that employ drivers who can help in a search. Other businesses 

such as movie theaters can help distribute information about an EMA. 

Create Awareness 

Creating awareness for the EMA can be done in a 

manner similar to the AMBER Alert. To enhance 

visibility of the EMA, task forces should work with 

their partners to develop materials such as the 

following:

✦ Brochures.

✦ Posters (showing criteria, activation procedures, and other information) that can be 

10 Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 11

displayed in breakrooms at law enforcement 

agencies and broadcaster outlets.

✦ Talking points for officers, broadcasters, 

and community liaisons who speak about 

the EMA.

✦ Informational booths at safety and 

community fairs.

✦ Promotional items.

✦ News segments about past activations, success stories, and general information about 

how the plan works.

✦ Pocket-size activation cards for law 

enforcement.

✦ Editorials about the importance of the EMA.

✦ Radio and television public service 

announcements. 

✦ Information from the EMA task force’s Web 

site with links to partnering agencies.

Conclusion 

The Endangered Missing Advisory is the next step 

in law enforcement efforts to help recover missing persons safely. The AMBER Alert plan will 

continue to be used to recover abducted children, 

and the EMA will be used for other individuals 

who are missing and endangered. 

Communities will benefit from having a single, 

clear plan that can be used in all cases that do 

not fit the AMBER Alert criteria. Establishing a 

plan will also ensure that there is no confusion 

over numerous alerts and advisories that differ 

because of the age of the person or the circumstances of the case. The mission is simple: to use 

all available tools within reach to save lives.

References 

Alzheimer’s Association Statement on Silver 

Alert. July 15, 2008. Available from www.alz.org/

news_and_events_14004.asp.

Donnellan, J. 2001. AMBER Alert Law Enforcement and Broadcaster Guide. Washington, DC: 

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention. 

McKenna, R. 2006. Case Management for Missing 

Children Homicide Investigation. Washington, DC: 

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention.

Murphy, P. 2009. Survey on Endangered Missing 

Persons. Unpublished. Appleton, WI: Fox Valley 

Technical College.

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. 

2007. 2007 AMBER Alert Report. Washington, DC: 

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention. 2002. Highlights From the NISMART 

Bulletins. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of 

Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of 

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 

Washington State Office of the Attorney General. 

1997. State Attorney General Releases Homicide 

Study. Press Release (May 13, 1997). 
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 13

Appendix 1. Resources

State Clearinghouses 

All states have clearinghouses that offer community assistance in missing person cases. When 

developing an Endangered Missing Advisory 

(EMA) plan, the best procedure is to work closely 

with the state clearinghouse and determine what 

resources are available. Many clearinghouses 

provide law enforcement with opportunities for 

networking and training and methods for information dissemination, data collection, and technical 

assistance. 

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) instructs clearinghouse personnel 

to submit missing children cases directly to the 

NCMEC Web site at www.missingkids.com. In 

addition, www.missingkids.com/lawenforcement 

(click on “Missing-Child Clearinghouse Program” 

under Featured Services) includes contact information for each state. NCMEC’s 24-hour call 

center at 1–800–THE–LOST (1–800–843–5678) can 

also provide contact information for each state 

clearinghouse.

State Departments of 

Transportation 

State departments of transportation are likely to 

be key partners in the AMBER Alert Program and 

can be a valuable partner for the EMA. The departments can assist with variable message signs, 

Highway Advisory Radio, or 511 traffic information lines to notify the public about an EMA. Each 

state determines whether the signs can be used 

for an AMBER Alert, EMA, or any other nontrafficrelated message. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation has 

also developed guidelines for posting AMBER 

Alerts, national security notices, and other 

nontraffic-related messages on highway signs 

(www.amberalert.gov/dotinfo.htm). According to 

the guidelines, the messages must provide the 

following:

✦ Relevant information about the incident.

✦ Information to help identify the suspect’s 

vehicle.

✦ Information to help locate the victim.

✦ Details about how to get more information.

The complete report can be found at 

www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov.

U.S. Department 

of Justice 

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of 

Justice Programs (OJP), Office of Juvenile Justice 

and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) develops 

materials and provides training for the AMBER 

Alert Program. The program encourages:

✦ Using national standards and best practices.

✦ Enhancing the use of technology.

✦ Coordinating the efforts of law enforcement, 

transportation, and the media.

✦ Increasing public participation through targeted education and increased communication.

✦ Sharing resources.

OJP develops materials and provides training 

to encourage states to incorporate the EMA into 

their missing person recovery plans. For more 

information, visit www.usdoj.gov/ojp (click on 

“Juvenile Justice” under OJP Topics).
National Center for 

Missing & Exploited 

Children 

NCMEC is a private, nonprofit organization working in cooperation with DOJ to serve as a clearinghouse for information on child victimization 

issues. Visit www.missingkids.com or call 1–800–

THE–LOST (1–800–843–5678) for the following 

resources:

9-1-1 communication centers. NCMEC provides 

technical assistance, training, and educational 

materials to help 9-1-1 communication centers 

respond effectively to reports of missing and/

or sexually exploited children. For more information, visit www.missingkids.com/en_US/

documents/911CallCenterHistory.pdf. 

AMBER Alert. Together with DOJ, NCMEC offers 

technical assistance and training to all AMBER 

Alert plans. The center also disseminates AMBER 

Alert messages to distributors of secondary communications through the AMBER Alert Secondary 

Distribution Program. This program enhances 

AMBER Alert activations for law enforcement and 

the general public and has been widely expanded 

to include various Internet providers, outdoor 

digital signage systems, coordinated highway 

networks, and public and private employers. For 

more information, visit www.amberalert.gov or 

www.missingkids.com/amber.

Case analysis. Using NCMEC databases, external 

sources, and geographic databases, analysts track 

leads, identify patterns among cases, and help coordinate investigations by linking cases together.

Family advocacy services. NCMEC provides technical assistance, referrals, and crisis intervention 

services for families, law enforcement, and family 

advocacy agencies.

Family reunification assistance. NCMEC can help 

arrange transportation free of charge to reunite 

children with families who have exhausted personal resources during the search process. This 

service is made possible through NCMEC’s privatesector transportation partners—American Airlines, 

Amtrak, Continental Airlines, and Greyhound.

Forensic assistance. NCMEC provides ageprogressed photographs of missing children; 

reconstructed facial images of unidentified, deceased children; and assistance to families, law 

enforcement, and medical examiners to resolve 

long-term missing children cases.

Hotline (1–800–THE–LOST or 1–800–843–5678). 

NCMEC operates the hotline 24 hours a day, 7 

days a week to record leads and other information 

from the public, help professionals and families 

who are searching for missing children, and assist 

in sexual exploitation cases. 

Infant abduction prevention program. NCMEC 

provides infant abduction prevention training to 

nursing associations, hospital security associations, and law enforcement agencies. NCMEC also 

provides investigative assistance to law enforcement on infant abduction cases.

International family abduction services. NCMEC 

assists families, law enforcement, attorneys, and 

others in finding and recovering children who are 

the victims of international abduction.

LOCATER. NCMEC’s Lost Child Alert Technology 

Resource enables law enforcement to rapidly 

create and disseminate posters of missing children locally, statewide, and nationwide.

Missing-Child Clearinghouse Program. All 50 

states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, 

the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, Greece, and 

the Netherlands provide resources for missing 

children, their families, and the professionals 

who serve them. NCMEC provides training and 

technical support to assist with missing children 

investigations. 

Photo and poster distribution. NCMEC provides 

national media exposure of missing children cases through partnerships with television networks, 

nationwide publications, and corporate partners.

Project ALERT. NCMEC coordinates America’s 

Law Enforcement Retiree Team, which is composed of skilled, retired law enforcement officers 

who provide free, onsite assistance to active law 

enforcement officers.

14 Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 15

Team Adam. Team Adam sends experienced investigative specialists to the sites of serious child 

abductions and child sexual exploitation cases 

to advise and assist local investigators. Team 

Adam also provides rapid, onsite assistance to 

law enforcement agencies and families in cases 

of missing, abducted, and exploited children. Its 

members are retired law enforcement professionals with years of investigative experience at the 

federal, state, and local levels. 

Nonprofit Organizations 

Collaborating with other local nonprofit organizations can assist in the goal of finding missing persons. Nonprofit organizations are vital in 

promoting information and sharing it with other 

grassroots organizations. These groups can also 

help law enforcement mobilize volunteers to help 

in searches or distribute posters. 

The Association of Missing and Exploited Children’s Organizations (AMECO) maintains a 

resource and referral list of nonprofit organizations for OJJDP. The list includes organizations 

throughout the United States and Canada that 

provide direct services to families of missing and 

exploited children. AMECO also oversees these 

organizations to help ensure they carry out their 

mission in an ethical and legitimate manner. For 

more information about becoming a member of 

AMECO, visit www.amecoinc.org.
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 17

Appendix 2. Endangered Missing 

Advisory Examples

The following examples are cases in which an 

Endangered Missing Advisory (EMA) was issued.

Ben Ownby and 

Shawn Hornbeck

On January 8, 2007, 13-year-old Ben Ownby got 

off a schoolbus at 3:45 p.m. with a friend, but he 

never made it home. Ben’s father called for help 

and the sheriff considered issuing an AMBER 

Alert at 7:15 p.m. However, law enforcement officers could not find anyone who saw where Ben 

went and they did not have any proof he had 

been abducted. Authorities did not have enough 

evidence to issue an AMBER Alert, but Missouri 

had just created an EMA plan and decided to put 

the new advisory to the test.

The state’s first EMA went out at 8:24 p.m. Law 

enforcement was notified through teletype message channels, and the media received the advisory through the public information officer’s 

media e-mail list. The media coverage was extensive, and hundreds of leads started coming in for 

the missing boy. A young student came forward 

and told police he saw the boy being pushed 

into a white pickup truck. Twelve hours after the 

advisory went out, authorities had enough information to issue an AMBER Alert. Three days 

later, deputies spotted a white pickup truck that 

matched the witness’s description. The deputies 

searched the truck owner’s apartment and found 

Ben Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck, a 15-year-old 

boy who had been missing since 2002.

Missouri law enforcement authorities were overjoyed that the EMA helped find a boy who had 

been missing for several days as well as another 

boy who had been missing for more than 4 years. 

Destiny Norton 

On July 16, 2006, 5-year-old Destiny Norton 

walked out of her parents’ apartment at about 

8:15 p.m. to calm down after arguing with her 

mother. The little girl, who had silver front teeth 

and blond hair with green streaks, was wearing 

her mother’s black and grey T-shirt and no shoes. 

Destiny’s parents left the apartment 10 minutes 

later to look for her. The parents were afraid that 

something was wrong because Destiny usually 

would not cross the street and avoided strangers. 

They called the police and organized a neighborhood search with the help of their church leader, 

who was also a Salt Lake City, UT, police officer. 

Police later canvassed the neighborhood for 

Destiny.

At about 10 p.m., Destiny’s father confronted a 

man who was acting suspiciously. The man had 

been seen driving around at a slow speed; he had 

toys in the back of his car and was seen putting 

something into a dumpster. Police stopped the 

suspect that night and impounded his car for a 

registration violation, but did not make any connection between him and Destiny. Authorities 

found out later the man had been charged and 

acquitted of two counts of sexually abusing children in 2003.

At 11:30 p.m., police used an automatic phonedialing service to send 1,000 calls to notify 

neighbors about the missing child. The FBI was 

contacted and a joint investigation into a missing/

kidnapped child began at 3:30 a.m.

Police decided that the information about the accused sexual offender combined with the age and 

circumstances of Destiny’s disappearance were 

enough to issue an AMBER Alert. The alert went 

out at 6:45 a.m. through radio, television, electronic highway signs, 511, Web sites, cell phone, 

and e-mail to people who had registered to receive the alerts.
The suspect’s family saw the AMBER Alert and 

the suspect turned himself into police at 8:30 a.m. 

The suspect failed the polygraph twice, but his 

family offered a strong alibi regarding his whereabouts. Police were not convinced the suspect 

was the person who took Destiny.

The Salt Lake City police cancelled the alert at 

noon, but detectives were still concerned that the 

young girl was in danger and issued an EMA. 

Police wanted the public’s help to find Destiny 

and wanted everyone to know they still suspected 

foul play. Hundreds of people volunteered to help 

in the search and reporters gave a great deal of 

attention to Destiny’s disappearance. The media 

continued to cover the case as a major news story. Rewards were offered and the public response 

continued to be the same as if an AMBER Alert 

was still in effect.

On the evening of July 23, a convenience store 

clerk in Farmington (about 20 miles north of Salt 

Lake City) said he saw a girl matching Destiny’s 

description with a man in a truck.

Police issued a second AMBER Alert for Destiny 

at 10:52 p.m. on July 23. They set up roadblocks 

and used a helicopter in the search. A citizen 

heard the alert and saw a similar truck pull into 

a trailer park in Salt Lake City. Police then determined that the girl in the truck was not Destiny. 

The AMBER Alert was cancelled at 2:32 a.m. on 

July 24. Detectives said the AMBER Alert and the 

EMA produced a large number of leads for their 

investigation. The same day, detectives started 

interviewing and conducting polygraph tests with 

the Nortons’ neighbor, Craig Roger Gregerson. 

Gregerson failed a polygraph and then admitted 

that he had something to do with Destiny’s death. 

At the same time, police decided to issue a sketch 

of the man seen in the truck at the convenience 

store, based on speculation that the truck in the 

trailer park was not the truck seen at the convenience store. Police decided not to release the 

sketch until they received an absolute confession.

Based on information from Gregerson, Destiny’s 

body was found at 8:30 p.m. on July 24 in 

Gregerson’s basement. Her body had been stuffed 

in a plastic storage box and Gregerson had used 

cleaning agents to mask the odor. Gregerson told 

police he could not move the child because of the 

constant police presence. He pleaded guilty as 

charged to capital murder and kidnapping. On 

December 5, 2006, Gregerson was sentenced to 

life in prison without parole for Destiny’s murder 

and another 15 years to life for her kidnapping. 

Malcolm Jamal Baker 

and Eric Lerma 

On June 10, 2007, the Clinton, UT, police department issued an EMA for an 8-year-old boy and 

a 9-year-old boy. Malcolm Jamal Baker and Eric 

Lerma were last seen at 10:30 a.m. playing near 

their home. The parents looked for the boys at 11 

a.m. and reported the matter to police at 5 p.m.

A neighbor reported seeing the boys about 2 

miles from their home at about 1 p.m. The police 

did not suspect foul play but they believed the 

boys were in danger and started checking covered 

boats and the trunks of cars as a precaution. A 

large irrigation canal was also searched. An automated phone message was sent to area residents 

to alert them that the boys were missing. Police 

then issued an EMA because they did not believe 

the case met the AMBER Alert criteria.

Police officers tracked the boys’ movements to a 

hardware store and employees at a nearby store 

reported that the boys had been there most of the 

day. The boys had also been seen near a movie 

theater and a restaurant. At 9 p.m., as daylight 

was beginning to fade, about 15 search and rescuers from the sheriff’s office scoured neighborhoods, trails, and streets in the area. An hour 

later, there were 75–100 searchers. Twelve hours 

after the boys went missing, they were found safe 

near an outdoor shed at the hardware store parking lot. The boys had traveled more than 7 miles 

from their home on their scooters. At 11 p.m., 

Clinton police received word of the boys’ whereabouts and sent home more than 170 volunteers 

who were participating in the search. 

18 Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 19

Vanessa Luren Ochoa 

On September 25, 2008, the Midvale, UT, police 

department issued an EMA for 7-week-old Vanessa Luren Ochoa after she was abducted from 

the hospital. The child had been placed in state 

custody after she was born with a cocaine dependency. The baby’s mother, Sheila Crump, had 

lost parental rights of four other children but was 

allowed visitation with Vanessa. The mother was 

staying at a treatment center and was allowed 

to take Vanessa to the hospital for treatment for 

dehydration. However, the hospital staff were unaware that Crump did not have the right to leave 

the hospital with her baby. 

The police had evidence that the child had been 

abducted but did not believe the child was in imminent danger, so they issued an EMA instead 

of an AMBER Alert. Based on phone calls and 

tips, the police were able to trace Crump to her 

mother’s house in Johnson City, TN. Crump was 

charged with kidnapping, and her baby was returned to Utah and placed in foster care. 

Deborah Jones 

On April 21, 2008, Salt Lake City police issued 

an EMA for 50-year-old Deborah Jones. She had 

broken up with her boyfriend 2 weeks earlier and 

had contacted police because he was making violent threats. Ms. Jones’ family became concerned 

after she failed to turn up for work and her cell 

phone had been turned off. Family members said 

the missing woman was very detail oriented and 

would never leave without letting someone know 

about it. The media covered the story extensively. 

A neighbor of the suspect called police and said 

that the suspect may have taken a mentally handicapped woman as well. The next day, police in 

Branson, MO, found Ms. Jones’ car and her body 

inside it. 

The ex-boyfriend and the handicapped woman 

were found alive in a hotel room. Detectives say 

the EMA did not go out in time to save Ms. Jones 

but that it likely saved the other woman from 

harm. 

Christopher Stone 

On October 11, 2007, Tennessee authorities issued an EMA for 1-year-old Christopher Stone. 

The boy had been taken by his noncustodial father and police believed the child was in danger. 

The father was wanted after he took the child 

with him during a high-speed chase and escaped 

after crashing his car into a patrol car. The media 

provided extensive coverage on the case and the 

child was found unharmed 3 days later.

The following are cases in which an EMA could 

have been considered. 

Mary Zelter 

On February 26, 2008, 86-year-old Mary Zelter 

signed herself out of her assisted living center 

and went shopping. Ms. Zelter suffered from 

bouts of dementia, and the family became concerned when she did not return home. Police issued a BOLO (Be On the Look Out) to other law 

enforcement agencies and the media. Worried 

family members flew in from around the country, 

distributed posters, and held rallies to solicit the 

public’s help. 

The media attention helped generate leads, and 

police learned that the missing woman had used 

her credit card an hour after she left the center 

but did not use it again. Her body was found in a 

waterway a week later; her automobile was also 

retrieved. Ms. Zelter’s death inspired federal legislation to support states that want to set up Silver 

Alerts to find missing senior citizens. 

Julie Kay Webster 

On August 1, 2002, law enforcement officials 

began a search after a 58-year-old woman went 

missing in Wyoming. Julie Kay Webster had 

early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and was last 

seen 3 days earlier on a surveillance tape buying 

gasoline at a gas station. Ms. Webster was supposed to pick up her daughter at MinneapolisSt. Paul International Airport, but she never 

showed up. Ms. Webster was found dead in a 

ravine on August 2, less than a mile from her 
car. She had apparently walked away after her 

car became stuck in sage brush. 

Norman and Yvonne Olson 

Norman and Yvonne Olson, residents of Hettinger, ND, were last seen on August 14, 2004. 

Neighbors had noticed that the lights had been 

left on in their house and the garden and flower 

beds were starting to dry up. The couple’s children became concerned because the front door 

was locked and the couple never locked the door. 

Norman Olson was being treated for depression, 

had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and was suffering from short-term memory 

loss. The Olsons’ children broke into the garage 

and discovered their parents’ car was missing. 

They also found a package of meat on the kitchen 

counter that had become rancid and a coffee 

maker that had burnt out after being left on. A .22 

caliber revolver was believed to be missing but 

there was no sign of a struggle. Police and family 

organized searches and volunteers used aircraft 

and horses to scour the area. In November, the 

bodies of the couple were found in an abandoned 

house. Authorities determined that Norman Olson 

killed his wife and then committed suicide. 

DeMond Tunstall, Ivan 

Tunstall-Collins, and Jinella 

Tunstall 

On September 23, 2006, East St. Louis, IL, police 

found Jimella Tunstall dead. Her abdomen had 

been torn apart and the pregnant woman’s fetus 

was missing. Authorities contacted the media 

when they learned that the victim’s children 

(7-year-old DeMond Tunstall, 2-year-old Ivan 

Tunstall-Collins, and 1-year-old Jinella Tunstall) 

were also missing. 

Investigators carried out a search and discovered 

the children were last seen with a family friend. 

Police found the family friend, who admitted to 

killing the mother to get her baby. She also told 

officers where to find the other children. Police 

went back to the victim’s apartment and found the 

dead children, whose bodies were decomposing 

inside the washer and dryer.

The following are additional cases in which 

various types of alerts were issued:

On November 2, 2000, police issued a crime alert 

after a father abducted his 5-month-old child during a domestic disturbance. The alert was sent to 

other law enforcement agencies, motels, clinics, 

and airports. A hotel employee recognized the 

suspect and the child when the father tried to 

check into a room. The employee contacted the 

police and the child was returned to the mother 

unharmed.

On November 4, 2005, a 24-year-old woman was 

grabbed by her ponytail and forced into the car of 

her former boyfriend. The ex-boyfriend had a history of violence and the family feared the victim 

was in danger. Police issued an EMA and, with 

help from the public, the suspect’s car and the 

victim were located in less than 2 hours. 

On May 5, 2006, police issued an EMA at 5:10 

a.m. for a 7-year-old boy with mental problems 

and medical needs that required medication. The 

boy was last seen at 10 p.m. the previous night. 

Broadcasters aired the advisory; a neighbor realized that the boy, who said he had permission to 

stay at their house, was the same boy mentioned 

in the advisory. The mother and child were 

reunited. 

On May 22, 2006, a 14-year-old girl sent a text 

message to her family and friends claiming she 

had been kidnapped and that her abductors were 

demanding ransom. Police were skeptical because 

the ransom amount was very low and the girl had 

a history of running away with her boyfriend. Officers decided to be on the safe side and issued an 

EMA to notify the public and other law enforcement agencies. The girl was found a short time 

later and she admitted the kidnapping was 

a hoax.

On January 19, 2007, police issued an EMA for a 

missing 86-year-old man who was known to become easily confused when he had not taken his 

20 Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 21

medication for diabetes. The man was last seen 

driving an older model truck with the rear window 

missing. The public was able to help authorities 

locate the missing man hundreds of miles away 

from his home. 

On October 9, 2007, a sheriff issued an EMA for 

two teens who ran away from a youth detention 

center. One teen was a diabetic and had not taken 

his medication for 36 hours. The other teen had a 

history of assaulting people with a deadly weapon. Both of them had a history of stealing vehicles 

and being involved in high-speed pursuits. The 

boys had also told some people that they planned 

to steal a vehicle. Law enforcement authorities 

found the juveniles in another town less than 6 

hours after the advisory went out. 

On October 10, 2007, a 3-year-old girl went missing near a marina at a large lake. Witnesses saw 

the girl near the covered boat slips around noon. 

Some witnesses said they had seen the girl, and 

the sheriff issued an EMA at 5:57 p.m. Hundreds of 

people joined in the search for the girl; her body 

was found in the lake the following afternoon.

On November 7, 2007, police issued a crime 

alert for a missing 16-year-old girl. The alert was 

posted at many gas stations and other locations 

and generated many leads. The girl was found 

unharmed the next day.

On November 13, 2007, police issued an EMA for 

a missing 42-year-old woman. The woman was 

depressed and had threatened to commit suicide. 

She had numerous medical conditions and had 

left with numerous antidepressants. The woman 

was found dead in a ravine 2 days later.

On November 30, 2007, police issued an EMA for 

a 26-year-old woman. Police feared she was in 

danger because she had the mental capacity of a 

7-year-old. The public helped locate the woman 

less than an hour after the advisory went out.
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 23

Appendix 3. Sample Plans

Utah

What a Law Enforcement 

Officer Should Do To Initiate 

an EMA 

Purpose. The Endangered Missing Advisory 

(EMA) is a voluntary partnership between law 

enforcement and local broadcasters to rapidly 

disseminate information about a missing and 

endangered person to law enforcement agencies, 

broadcasters, and the public.

Criteria. Only Utah law enforcement agencies can 

initiate an EMA, using the following criteria: 

✦ Do the circumstances fail to meet the criteria 

for an AMBER Alert? (If they meet the criteria, 

immediately follow the protocol to issue an 

AMBER Alert.) 

✦ Is the person missing under unexplained, involuntary, or suspicious circumstances?

✦ Is the person believed to be in danger because of age, health, mental or physical disability, or environment or weather conditions; 

because they are in the company of a potentially dangerous person; or some other factor 

that may put the person in peril?

✦ Is there information that could assist the public in the safe recovery of the missing person?

Procedure for Agencies To 

Initiate an EMA

If all criteria are met, prepare the “Endangered 

Missing Advisory” by using the Attempt To Locate (ATL) code on the Utah Criminal Justice 

Information System (UCJIS). Write “Endangered 

Missing Advisory” in the title of the entry. A Field 

EMA Information Form is available to help you 

gather information. Contact the Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) at 801–965–4446 to verify it 

received the advisory via UCJIS.

Enter the information with the National Crime 

Information Center (NCIC) using the proper message key: Missing (MNP), Endangered (EME), 

Involuntary (EMI). Make sure dispatchers are prepared to handle phone calls. 

Consider allocating additional resources from 

other law enforcement agencies. Obtain a photograph of the missing person and/or suspect as 

soon as possible and e-mail it to endangered@

utah.gov.

A Public Information Officer (PIO) should be appointed to handle the press. Once the advisory 

has been activated, media coverage may be overwhelming, especially for a small department. The 

PIO should be constantly updated so he or she 

can use the media as much as possible and receive the maximum exposure for the case.

The EMA does not preclude the use of any inhouse procedures, policies, or practices established by discrete law enforcement agencies. 

The following will happen after the advisory is 

activated:

✦ All Utah law enforcement agencies are notified through UCJIS.

✦ Broadcasters and the media are notified by 

e-mail.

✦ Thousands of flyers with photos and details 

are distributed to businesses throughout Utah 

and surrounding states.

✦ Ports of entry inform all of their officers.

✦ The National Center for Missing & Exploited 

Children (NCMEC) is contacted if the person 

is younger than age 18.

Additional Resources 

BCI can contact other states if the advisory needs 

to be sent outside of Utah. BCI is also available 
to provide training or training materials. Call 

801–965–4446.

The Utah Public Information Officer Association 

can provide a PIO to help your agency. Call 801–

541–8145 or 801–554–5422.

A Child Is Missing (ACIM) will use an automated 

telephone system to contact residents and businesses in the area where the person was last 

seen. The service is free and can be used for a 

missing child or an elderly or disabled person. 

Call 888–875–ACIM (888–875–2246).

Team Adam provides experienced child abduction 

investigators, technical assistance, and equipment 

free to agencies during investigations involving 

missing, abducted, or exploited children. Call 

1–800–THE–LOST (1–800–843–5678). 

Project ALERT provides retired federal, state, and 

local law enforcement officers, who volunteer 

their time and expertise as unpaid consultants 

during investigations of missing, abducted, or 

exploited children. NCMEC pays for all travel arrangements and costs. Call 1–800–THE–LOST 

(1–800–843–5678).

Laura Recovery Center will help organize community ground searches. The nonprofit organization 

offers its services at no cost. Call 866–898–5723.

Canceling the EMA 

The initiating agency must cancel the EMA using 

the UCJIS (ATL) message. The agency must also 

call BCI at 801–965–4446 to verify that the EMA 

cancellation notice has been received via UCJIS.

North Carolina Silver 

Alert Program

What Is a Silver Alert? 

Silver Alert is a system to quickly notify the public 

about missing endangered adults who suffer from 

dementia or other cognitive impairments. Since 

adults with these mental ailments often become 

confused and disoriented, it is imperative that 

they are found quickly and returned to their 

caregivers.

Developed in 2007, the program is a cooperative 

effort among local and state law enforcement and 

the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons 

(NCCMP), with voluntary participation by radio 

and television broadcasters and the North Carolina 

Department of Transportation. The Silver Alert 

program is based on the Cognitive Impairment 

Assistance Law that passed in August 2007; it 

builds on the success of the state’s AMBER Alert 

system. Although North Carolina’s Silver Alert 

program criteria are unique, two other states have 

similar programs.

What Are the Criteria? 

NCCMP is the only agency that can activate a 

Silver Alert and will do so only at the request of 

an investigating law enforcement agency. It is 

then the responsibility of the center to determine 

whether there are sufficient data to justify activating the Silver Alert system.

To activate a Silver Alert, the following statutory 

criteria must be met:

✦ The person is 18 years old or older.

✦ The person is believed to be suffering from 

dementia or other cognitive impairments.

✦ The person is believed to be missing—

regardless of circumstances.

✦ A legal custodian of the missing person has 

submitted a missing person’s report to the local law enforcement agency where the person 

went missing.

24 Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 25

How Does It Work? 

The investigating local law enforcement agency 

and NCCMP (800–522–5437, 919–733–3557 

(inquiries only), 919–715–1682 (fax), 

www.nccrimecontrol.org) work together to 

notify the surrounding community and the

media about the missing endangered person.

DO NOT release any health information other 

than cognitive impairment status. 

Law enforcement is responsible for the following:

✦ Notify NCCMP.

✦ Send completed Silver Alert forms to the 

center.

✦ Enter information into the National Crime 

Information Center.

✦ Initiate a statewide Be On the Look Out.

✦ Establish a 24-hour phone number.

✦ Activate reverse 911 calls.

✦ For walkaways, call A Child Is Missing 

(888–875–2246, 954–763–4569 (fax), 

www.achildismissing.org).

✦ Notify NCMEC at 1–800–THE–LOST if the 

missing person is younger than age 21.

NCCMP responsibilities include the following:

✦ Activate North Carolina Department of 

Transportation electronic highway signs 

(if appropriate).

✦ Update the Web site (www.nccrimecontrol.org).

✦ Send information to the media.

DO NOT release any health information other 

than cognitive impairment status.

Ohio Missing Child Alert

Unknown circumstances include the following:

✦ Is the victim younger than 18 years old?

✦ What are the details about the missing child 

(i.e., lost, nonwitnessed/nonconfirmed abduction, whereabouts are unknown)?

Missing child alert actions include the following:

✦ Send a statewide teletype.

✦ Send a media blast e-mail and fax.

✦ Send an Ohio trucker’s alert.

✦ Initiate an A Child Is Missing activation.

✦ Activate a law enforcement radio broadcast.

✦ Activate a Child Abduction Response Team.

✦ Notify secondary notification systems.

✦ To initiate a missing child alert, contact the 

Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 740–845–

2224.

Arkansas Level II 

Activation Criteria and 

Procedure

If circumstances of the disappearance involving 

an infant, child, or minor do not meet the criteria 

to permit activation of a Level I Emergency Alert 

System (EAS) notification, an alternate form of 

mass notification may be offered to a local law 

enforcement agency seeking assistance, as described below.

✦ A police chief, sheriff, or authorized commander of a local law enforcement agency 

should follow the guidelines set forth in the 

previous policy section, “Level I Alerts Relating to Minimum Reporting Criteria.”
✦ An authorized law enforcement commander 

must complete the Morgan Nick AMBER Alert 

System Initial Reporting Form, sign the document, and electronically mail or fax the form 

to the Arkansas State Police (ASP) Troop A 

Communications Center. 

✦ Authorization of a Level II alert is delegated to 

the agency’s Criminal Investigation Division 

commander. In the event the division commander is unavailable, authorization of the 

alert system will default upward in the ASP 

chain of command, beginning with the commander of the Criminal Investigation Division. 

If a Level II notification is authorized, the ASP 

will disseminate information contained in 

the initial reporting form, along with a current photograph of the missing infant, child, 

or minor through the electronic mail server 

maintained by ASP. Using an ASP e-mail 

template, a Troop A telecom operator will 

transcribe the necessary information from the 

initial reporting form onto the template. The 

photograph may be included as an attached 

file or sent separately as the photograph becomes available. The e-mail will be sent to a 

list of subscribers, to include both print and 

broadcast newsrooms across the state.

✦ The e-mail will contain information about the 

identity of the missing person, a description 

of the missing person, and information about 

any possible suspect or person of interest 

to the law enforcement agency initiating the 

request. The e-mail message will contain the 

name of the person who will serve as a primary point of contact within the reporting law 

enforcement agency and a telephone number 

where the person can be contacted.

✦ Notifications by e-mail using the Morgan Nick 

AMBER Alert System criteria should include 

a mandatory disclaimer in each transmission, 

stating: “The following information has been 

provided to the Arkansas State Police by local law enforcement officers with immediate 

jurisdiction in this case and does not rise to 

the reporting level for activation of the Level I 

Emergency Alert System, Morgan Nick 

AMBER Alert. The information contained in 

this advisory and any photographs that follow 

may be released at the discretion of the Morgan Nick AMBER Alert subscriber. Inquiries 

should be directed to the local law enforcement agency that has requested the Level II 

alert.”

✦ Additional information developed from the 

continued investigation into the disappearance of an infant, child, or minor may warrant 

reconsideration as to whether to activate the 

Level I EAS. The Criminal Investigation Division commander may upgrade a Level II alert 

to a Level I EAS activation.

✦ Pursuant to applicable Arkansas statutes, 

release and (or) confirmation of criminal history information, medical history, or personal 

information relating to the victim and (or) 

suspect is prohibited.

Minnesota Law 

Enforcement Checklist

1. Is the abduction one in which the victim is 17 

years old or younger? 

✦ If yes, answer question 2. 

✦ If no, answer question 3. 

✦ Do you believe the child to be in imminent 

danger of serious bodily harm or death? 

• If yes, active the AMBER Plan and the 

Minnesota Crime Alert Network. 

• If no, do not activate the AMBER Plan; 

go to question 3. 

2. Provide the following information to the Bureau 

of Criminal Apprehension:

✦ When/where the child was abducted.

26 Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 27

✦ A description of the child.

✦ A description of the abductor. 

✦ A description of the vehicle, if one is 

involved. 

✦ The last known direction of travel. 

✦ Is there reason to believe the suspect has a 

relationship to the victim? 

✦ Phone number to call for general information 

and questions. 

The police should carefully consider not activating 

the plan if there is no information to send out. 

Could assistance from the public, including other 

law enforcement agencies, businesses, and the 

media, help locate an individual who does not 

qualify for an AMBER Alert?

✦ If yes, activate the Minnesota Crime Alert 

Network. 

✦ If no, do not activate the Minnesota Crime 

Alert Network. 

3. Could assistance from the public, including other law enforcement agencies, businesses, and 

the media, help locate an individual who does 

not qualify for an AMBER Alert?
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 29

Appendix 4. Sample Press Releases

For Immediate Release

September 19, 2005

Contact Paul Murphy

Utah Attorney General’s Office

801–538–1892

pmurphy@utah.gov

Utah Has a New Tool To Find Missing People 

Utah law enforcement officers and broadcasters are once again joining forces to find missing people. 

Attorney General Mark Shurtleff announced today the launch of the Endangered Missing Advisory (EMA), 

a new plan to recover missing people who do not fit the criteria for an AMBER Alert.

“The AMBER Alert has been an extremely effective tool for bringing abducted children home. With the addition of the EMA, police officers now have a simple, clear-cut plan to find others who may be in danger,” 

says Shurtleff.

Before issuing an EMA, a law enforcement officer must consider four criteria:

1. Do the circumstances fail to meet the criteria for an AMBER Alert? (If they do meet the criteria for an 

AMBER Alert, immediately follow the protocol to issue an AMBER Alert.)

2. Is the person missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances?

3. Is the person in danger because of age, health, mental or physical disability, and environment or 

weather conditions, or is the person in the company of a potentially dangerous person? 

4. Is there information that could assist the public in the safe recovery of the missing person? 

The Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification will distribute the advisory to law enforcement, the media, 

businesses, and ports of entry. Law enforcement can also send the advisory by telephone to residents 

living in the area where the person was last seen. Information will also go to the National Crime Information Center and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children if the missing person is under the 

age of 18.

“Broadcasters want to serve the public and this is another way we can serve and even save lives,” says 

Utah Broadcasters Association President Dale Zabriskie.

An EMA could be used for a number of cases that do not fit the AMBER Alert criteria: a 19-year-old kidnap 

victim, a 75-year-old Alzheimer’s patient, a 14-year-old missing girl with suspicious computer correspondence, or an 11-year-old scout lost in a mountain wilderness area.

“We certainly could have used something like this,” says Jody Hawkins, mother of Brennan Hawkins, an 

11-year-old who was lost for 4 days in the High Uintas without food or water. “We needed the public’s 

help and we needed it immediately. The EMA will be a real blessing for other parents searching for their 

children.”
Following are some reasons why missing children face serious risks:

✦ A Washington state study found that 68.7 percent of child abduction homicides began as a missing 

person or runaway case.

✦ The Department of Justice statistics for 2004 indicate that 70 percent of missing children are endangered because of sexual or physical assault, criminal companions, or drug use, or because they are 

younger than age 13.

✦ A recent series of questions posed to homeless youth in Utah found that 37 percent had been sexually assaulted and 50 percent had attempted suicide.

“The partnership between law enforcement and the media has proven to be a good one with the AMBER 

Alert. In the same way, the Endangered Missing Advisory will let thousands of people know quickly that 

someone may be in harm’s way,” says Woods Cross Police Chief Paul Howard, who represents the Utah 

Police Chiefs Association for the Utah AMBER Alert Advisory Committee.

A slight change is also being made in the criteria for Utah AMBER Alerts. The Alerts will only be issued for 

children younger than age 18. The original criteria included an individual with a proven mental or physical 

disability.

“Utah’s criteria are now in line with what the Department of Justice recommends for AMBER Alerts. However, the Utah AMBER Alert Advisory Committee didn’t want to make the change until the Endangered 

Missing Advisory was up and running,” says Paul Murphy, spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office 

and Utah AMBER Alert Coordinator.

The EMA is being initiated on the same day as the fifth test of the Utah AMBER Alert Plan. The tests are 

held each year on May 25, Missing Children’s Day, and September 19, the anniversary of the day kidnap 

victim Rachael Runyan was found. 

“Though it has been 23 years since Rachael’s abduction, we still do not forget,” says Elaine RunyanSimmons, mother of Rachael Runyan. “We are still figuring out ways to find our missing children. The 

fight goes on!” 

30 Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory
Guide for Implementing or Enhancing an Endangered Missing Advisory 31

Attorney General Mike McGrath

State of Montana

For release: June 26, 2008

Contact: Mike Batista or John Strandell, 444–3874

Department of Justice Announces New Missing-Person 

Advisory Program

HELENA—Montana law enforcement agencies have another tool to find missing children and adults, 

thanks to a new program in the Division of Criminal Investigation at the Montana Department of Justice.

The new program—the Missing and Endangered Person Advisory, or MEPA (www.doj.mt.gov/enforcement/

missingpersons/mepa.asp)—is an alternative to the well-known AMBER Alert Program.

“AMBER Alerts are specifically limited to child abduction cases in which the child’s life may be in danger,” said Mike Batista, Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Administrator. 

“AMBER is not meant to track runaways, missing children, children involved in custody disputes, or missing adults, yet those are the types of cases Montana law enforcement agencies deal with.”

“MEPA allows agencies to quickly get the word out to the public and to other law enforcement around the 

state and the region.”

The DCI guidelines call for a local agency to first determine whether the case is appropriate for an AMBER 

Alert. If not, the agency can request an advisory.

DCI will issue the advisory through the National Weather Service, Montana Department of Transportation, 

and the Montana Lottery. 

The media—either in a specific region of the state or statewide—are notified via the Weather Service system or by e-mail or fax. 

The requesting agency may also decide to send the advisory to border ports of entry or other public 

agencies. 

If the missing person is younger than age 18, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is 

notified. 

The initial advisory will include any available information, such as name, age, physical description, date of 

birth, and where the person was last seen. It might also include information about whether the person has 

a health condition or a physical or mental disability.

Generally, the MEPA will expire after 24 hours, although the requesting agency can ask for a longer time 

period. The advisory can also be updated or cancelled by the requester at any time.

“All of us want to help find missing Montanans, regardless of the circumstances,” Batista said. “A program like MEPA will be a useful option for law enforcement.”
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 

For more information about the AMBER Alert Program, 

including training, technical assistance, and laws, 

visit the U.S. Department of Justice Web site at: 

www.amberalert.gov

To report an emergency situation or to 

provide information about a missing or exploited child, 

call 911 to notify your local police or call: 

1–800–THE–LOST (1–800–843–5678) 

To report information about child pornography, 

child molestation, child prostitution, and the 

online enticement of children, 

log on to the CyberTipline at: 

www.cybertipline.com 

For more information on missing and 

exploited children, visit the National Center for 

Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at: 

www.missingkids.com
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Washington, DC 20531

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