Amber Alert Success Stories
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2006 AMBER Alert Success Stories
August 3, 2006
As of August 3, 2006, NCMEC is aware of 42 children who have been safely recovered as a direct result of AMBER Alerts in 2006. Case summaries for all 42 children are below.
July 19, 2006
Peoria, Illinois
A 9-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother were not returned to their custodial father after a scheduled visitation with their non-custodial mother. Because the children’s mother had abducted the children in the past and is believed to be capable of physical harm to the child, an AMBER Alert was issued. The family friend was aware of the AMBER Alert when the suspect and
children came to her house. She immediately notified authorities. The suspect was apprehended
and the children were safely recovered.
July 18, 2006
Memphis, Tennessee
A 16-year-old Veronica Diaz-Lopez was abducted by an acquaintance after the he assaulted the child’s companion with a tire iron. An AMBER Alert was quickly issued. A citizen in Georgia who was aware of the Tennessee AMBER Alert saw the vehicle in question and contacted authorities. Law enforcement was able to shift the search to Georgia and issue a Georgia AMBER Alert. The abductor was eventually apprehended and the child was safely recovered.
July 13, 2006
North Charleston, South Carolina
A 2-year-old boy left with his babysitter and was supposed to be returned to his mother later that day. When the woman and child did not show up hours later, and it was believed the child may have been in danger, an AMBER Alert was issued. A motorist saw the Alert on an electronic highway sign, spotted the vehicle, and notified authorities. Law enforcement responded and after a pursuit, the suspect was apprehended and the child was safely recovered.
June 26, 2006
Barron County, Wisconsin
A 16-month-old was abducted from his grandmother’s home by his non-custodial mother,
who also stole the grandmother’s car. The woman then met up with the child’s noncustodial
father. Both are alleged to be Meth addicts and the child’s mother appeared to
be very high during the abduction. Fearing for the child’s safety, an AMBER Alert was
issued. The two abductors heard the AMBER Alert, and because they knew that police
were searching for them, dropped the child off with a friend. The child was safely
recovered.
June 13, 2006
Terre Haute, Indiana
A 4-year-old boy and his 2-year-old brother were taken by their father at gunpoint and left in a stolen vehicle. Because of the violent abduction, an AMBER Alert was issued. A citizen saw the AMBER Alert on television, recognized the description of the vehicle by a lake, and notified authorities. When law enforcement arrived, they were able to safely recover the younger child. The suspect was apprehended.
June 5, 2006
Wayne County, North Carolina
A 10-month-old girl was abducted by her mother’s ex-boyfriend after the man assaulted
the child’s mother. Because of the violent abduction and he threatened to harm the child,
an AMBER Alert was issued. The suspect heard the AMBER Alert, and contacted his
attorney, who was also aware of the AMBER Alert. He arranged a drop-off. The suspect
was apprehended and the child was safely recovered.
June 5, 2006
Nashville, Tennessee
A 3-year-old boy was taken by his father’s girlfriend. Due to the suspect criminal history
of child abuse, an AMBER Alert was issued. The suspect heard the Alert, returned the
child to his mother’s residence, and fled the area. The child was safely recovered.
June 4, 2006
Lubbock, Texas
A 4-day-old infant was abducted from her home by a woman posing a nurse. An AMBER Alert was quickly issued. Because of the AMBER Alert, many leads came in and one anonymous tip lead law enforcement to the suspect. The suspect was apprehended and the child was safely reunited with her mother.
May 28, 2006
Park Hills, Missouri
A 4-year-old girl and her mother were abducted at knifepoint by the child’s father.
Because the suspect threatened to harm the woman and child, an AMBER Alert was
issued. When law enforcement believed the suspect may leave the state, Illinois and
Wisconsin also activated AMBER Alerts for the child. A citizen recognized the vehicle
from the AMBER Alert and notified authorities. The suspect was apprehended and the
child was safely recovered.
May 19, 2006
Springfield, Missouri
A 1-year-old boy and his 1-month-old brother were disappeared from their grandmother’s
home in the middle of the night. The children’s father, who was also staying at their
grandmother’s home notified authorities and suspected his estranged wife of taking them.
When the children’s mother could not be located, an AMBER Alert was issued.
Employees from a local hospital contacted authorities after having seen the AMBER
Alert and the mother and children in the hospital earlier that day. A friend of the mother
also heard the Alert and finally persuaded the woman to turn herself in. The children
were safely recovered.
May 18, 2006
Abbeville County, South Carolina
A 4-year-old girl was taken by a family member after he assaulted the child’s grandmother. Because of the violent abduction and the suspect history of assault, an AMBER Alert was issued. The suspect’s landlord heard the AMBER Alert and contacted authorities with an address where the suspect could be found. The suspect was apprehended and the child was safely recovered.
May 7, 2006
Pickerington, Ohio
A 2-year-old girl and her 13-month-old brother were taken from their foster home by their noncustodial teen mother in the children’s foster mother’s car. An AMBER Alert was quickly issued. The children’s grandmother heard the Alert and called to let authorities know the children had been dropped off with her. The children were safely recovered.
May 4, 2006
Millersville, Tennessee
A 5-year-old girl was taken by a family acquaintance to McDonald’s. When the man did not
return with the child, the child’s mother notified authorities. Because of the man’s history with
the law, an AMBER Alert was issued. Several tips came in from the public that allowed officers
to contain the suspect until he could be apprehended. The child was safely recovered.
April 26, 2006
Las Vegas, Nevada
A 14-month-old boy was left in a vehicle by his mother in front of a convenience store. Two suspects the mother had met only that day drove off with the car and child in the back seat. An AMBER Alert was issued. A motorist who had heard the Alert on the radio saw the vehicle in front of him and notified authorities. The suspects were apprehended and the child was safely recovered.
April 26, 2006
Seymour, Indiana
A 2-year-old girl was abducted by her father after the man assaulted the child’s mother.
Because of the violent abduction and the man’s threats to harm the child, an AMBER Alert was issued. A drive-through restaurant patron recognized the vehicle from theAMBER Alert and contacted authorities. Police arrived at the scene and the child was safely recovered.
April 24, 2006
Ramapo, New York
A13-year-old girl was abducted while walking home. A witness saw a car pull up next to the child and the passengers grab the child and put her into a trunk, and then speed off. An AMBER Alert was quickly issued. A woman had seen the AMBER Alert on television later noticed the wanted car on her property. She notified authorities, who arrived at the scene to find the child still locked in the truck. The child was safely recovered.
April 22, 2006
Danville, Virginia
A 7-month-old boy was abducted by his biological father when the man sideswiped the
vehicle the child and mother were traveling in. When they pulled over, the man violently
abducted the mother and child. An AMBER Alert was quickly issued. A citizen spotted
the vehicle in a parking lot after seeing the AMBER Alert. Police arrived at the scene and
a brief chase ensued. The suspect was later arrested and the child and mother were
recovered safely.
April 15, 2006
St. Petersburg, Florida
A 17-year-old girl was abducted and forced into a vehicle at gunpoint by her exboyfriend.
An AMBER Alert was quickly issued. When the suspect saw the AMBER Alert on television, he had acquaintances drop the child off near her home. The child was safely recovered, and the suspect was later apprehended.
April 14, 2006
Orange County, Florida
A 7-year-old boy was abducted by a family acquaintance. Law enforcement believed the child may have been in danger, and an AMBER Alert was issued. The suspect saw the AMBER Alert on television and had another man take the child. This man escorted the child to and abandoned him at a local convenience store. The store clerk notified authorities and the child was safely recovered. The suspect was later apprehended.
April 6, 2006
Glendale, Arizona
A 3-year-old girl was abducted by her biological father during a visitation exchange. The man and an associate took the child and the mother; however, the mother was able to escape and notify authorities. An AMBER Alert was issued. The father and associate hear the AMBER Alert and dropped the child off with a relative. The child was safely recovered.
March 22, 2006
Selmer, Tennessee
Three sisters under the age of 9 and their mother were reported missing after the children’s father was discovered murdered in their home. An AMBER Alert was quickly issued for the girls and the family vehicle. Law enforcement in Alabama who had been aware of the Tennessee AMBER Alert recognized the vehicle, apprehended the mother, and safely recovered the three girls.
March 17, 2006
Dyersburg, Tennessee
A 5-year-old girl and her 1-year-old sister left for the store with their live-in babysitter. When the three did not return home for many house, the children’s parents notified authorities. Once law enforcement determined the woman may leave the state, an AMBER Alert was issued. A college student interning with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency heard the AMBER Alert on the radio and then recognized the vehicle. Once she arrived at a heavily wooded area near the Mississippi River. Law enforcement was quickly at the scene and found the children and suspect in the wooded area. The suspect was arrested and the children were safely reunited with their family.
March 17, 2006
Lucasville, Ohio
A 3-year-old boy and his mother were violently abducted at gunpoint by the child’s noncustodial father. The abducted also bound the child’s grandparents, who were later able to report the incident to authorities. An AMBER Alert was issued. A citizen recognized the vehicle from the Alert at a convenience store and notified authorities. The suspect was arrested and the child and mother were safely recovered.
March 9, 2006
Decatur, Georgia
A 3-year-old boy was left in a running car while his father ran into a convenience store. The man
returned to find the car had been stolen with the child still inside. An AMBER Alert was quickly
issued. A few hours later a little boy was found sleeping in the lawn of an elementary school by
some teachers. They immediately recognized the boy from the AMBER Alert and notified
authorities. The child was safely recovered. The suspect was later apprehended.
March 8, 2006
Honea Path, South Carolina
A 7-year-old boy and his 2-year-old sister were forcefully abducted by their grandparents. An AMBER Alert was quickly issued. A hotel guest who had seen the AMBER Alert recognized the vehicle in the parking lot and notified authorities. The suspects were apprehended and the children were safely recovered.
March 7, 2006
Cottontown, Tennessee
Two boys, ages15 and 7, were abducted by the 7-year-old’s non-custodial brother. Because of the suspect’s violent history and threats against the young boy to his mother, an AMBER Alert was issued. A citizen noticed a vehicle parked in his drive way, recognized it from the AMBER Alert, and contacted authorities. It was soon realized that the vehicle was abandoned with no gas, so road blocks were set up in the area. The suspect and children were located in the back of a vehicle at road block. They had been picked up by a motorist. The suspect was apprehended and the children were safely recovered.
February 15, 2006
Sidney, Ohio
A 3-year-old boy was taken by his half-sister after she dropped the child’s mother off at work. When the mother arrived home to find the suspect and child gone, she alerted authorities. Because of the suspect’s history of violence and drug use, an AMBER Alert was issued. A citizen who had seen the Alert informed law enforcement of the suspect’s whereabouts. The suspect was apprehended after a brief foot chase, and the child was safely recovered.
February 13, 2006
Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
Three sisters, ages 6, 8, and 13, were abducted from their home by their mother’s exboyfriend. Because of the man’s extensive criminal background, an AMBER Alert was issued. Throughout the course of the investigation, two sisters were located at a residence where they had been left. Authorities then received a call from a woman who had heard the AMBER Alert and reported that the middle child was with her. The children were safely recovered and the suspect was later apprehended.
February 10, 2006
Ashland City, Tennessee
A 1-year-old girl was left in the care of her grandmother while her mother was at the hospital giving birth. When the child’s parents returned home, both the grandmother and child were no where to be found. Because the grandmother was known to be a drug user and could possibly subject the child to an unsafe environment, an AMBER Alert was issued. A police officer heard the AMBER Alert and located the vehicle on a traffic stop. The suspect was arrested and the child was safely recovered.
February 6, 2006
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
A 6-year-old girl was abducted by her non-custodial mother. Because of the woman’s history of violence and threats of violence she had made, an AMBER Alert was issued. The woman saw the AMBER Alert on television and contacted authorities and agreed to turn over the child. The suspect was apprehended and the child was safely recovered.
January 29, 2006
Minneapolis, Minnesota
A 2-year-old boy was abducted at gunpoint by his mother’s ex-boyfriend following a violent domestic dispute. An AMBER Alert was quickly issued. The suspect heard the AMBER Alert while driving and dropped the child off at a convenience store. The store clerk called authorities. The child was safely reunited with his family.
January 20, 2006
Houston, Texas
A 2-year-old boy was abducted by his father’s girlfriend. Because authorities believed the child was in danger, an AMBER Alert was issued. A citizen saw the AMBER Alert on TV and realized that the suspect and child in the Alert were the woman and child he provided shelter to that night, as they were panhandling on the street. He quickly alerted authorities, the suspect was arrested, and the child was safely recovered.
January 10, 2006
Minneapolis, Minnesota
An 18-month-old child was left in the back seat of a running vehicle while his father went into a store. A woman in the store walked outside, got into the running vehicle, and sped off. An AMBER Alert was quickly issued. When the woman heard the AMBER Alert on the radio, she abandoned the vehicle in a grocery store parking lot. The child was safely recovered, and the suspect was later apprehended.
January 1, 2006
Bel-Ridge, Missouri
A 19-month-old child was abducted by her non-custodial father after he assaulted the child’s mother. An AMBER Alert was quickly issued. The man heard the Alert and dropped off the child with friends. The child was safely recovered.
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