Can Amber Alerts truly bring missing children back home? – NBC Connecticut

Five-year-old Prince McCree went missing in Milwaukee, but an Amber Alert was not issued, leading to his tragic death. In 2023, only 229 alerts were issued out of 350,000 missing children cases. The Amber Alert system was inspired by the abduction and murder of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman in 1996. The criteria for issuing an alert includes the child being in imminent danger and aged 17 or younger. The success rate of Amber Alerts in recovering abducted children is 26%, with individual sightings of vehicles described in the alerts being a common factor. However, some experts question the effectiveness of Amber Alerts, citing that the relationship between the abductor and child is a more significant predictor of recovery. Family abductions made up 59% of alerts in 2023. Despite differing opinions on their effectiveness, the public still views Amber Alerts as a vital tool in finding missing children. There is a discrepancy in the racial representation of missing children, with a higher percentage of missing children being children of color compared to their population percentage. While Amber Alerts are seen as critical in high-profile abduction cases, some experts argue that they may not always be the most effective means of recovering missing children.

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