AMBER Alert Success Stories

Recent Success Stories

December 19, 2011
Houston, TX
An AMBER Alert was issued for a 1-year-old child missing from Houston, TX. The abductor, the child’s father, took the child from a restaurant. The child was very sick at the time and the abductor was in violation of a temporary restraining order and had a history of violence. In response to the AMBER Alert, the abductor and his attorney safely surrendered the child.

December 5, 2011
West Sacramento, CA
An AMBER Alert was issued for 3 children (ages 2, 4 and 7) abducted from West Sacramento, CA. The abductor, the children’s father, assaulted the children's mother and left with the children.  The abductor was known to have a history of drug use and domestic violence against the children's mother. An El Dorado County Sheriff's spotted the vehicle matching the AMBER Alert in a restaurant parking lot resulting in the arrest of the abductor and the safe rescue of the children.

November 22, 2011
Rochester, NY
An AMBER Alert was issued for 2 children (ages 1 and 3) abducted from Rochester, NY. The children were abducted by their mother’s boyfriend after a physical altercation with the mother. The citizen responded to the AMBER Alert to report a sighting of the listed vehicle. Law enforcement checked the residence where the vehicle was parked and located the children. Police learned that the residence belonged to an acquaintance of the abductor. The abductor had dropped off the children and left the car.

November 20, 2011
Weidman, Michigan
An AMBER Alert was issued for a 4-year-old child abducted from Weidman, Michigan. The child was abducted by his father. The child’s mother had not been heard from since November 18, 2011. The mother’s vehicle was found abandoned near a river. Law enforcement in Vienna Township, Michigan, spotted the vehicle that matched the information from the AMBER Alert and made a traffic stop. The child was safely rescued, and the abductor was taken into custody and later charged with the mother’s murder.

October 31, 2011
Anderson, CA
An AMBER Alert was issued for 2 children (ages 7 and 5) who were abducted by a neighbor.  The abductor stated she was going to take all of the children fishing, but never returned.  Law enforcement believed the abductor also may have been under the influence of drugs.  A citizen saw the overhead sign for the AMBER Alert, and then saw the abductor's vehicle traveling north on Interstate 5 near Redding, California.  The citizen called 911 and the California Highway Patrol and the Shasta County Sheriff's Office responded leading to the abductors arrest and the rescue of the children.

October 8, 2011
Lecoma, MO
An AMBER Alert was issued for a 3-year-old child abducted from Lecoma, MO. The abductor, the child’s non-custodial father, reportedly had an altered mental state and a history of violence. The abductor entered a convenience store he frequented in Saint James and mentioned to the store clerk that he had stolen his child from Rolla, MO. Shortly after the abductor left, a customer entered the store and mentioned that there was an AMBER Alert. Law enforcement was alerted and learned about possible locations for the abductor. Another call came in reporting a vehicle matching the abductor’s vehicle just pulled into the parking lot. Law enforcement responded to the parking lot and the abductor was arrested as he was exiting from the vehicle, and the child was rescued.

September 19, 2011
Ashtabula, OH
An AMBER Alert was issued for a 1-year-old child abducted from Ashtabula, OH. The abductor, the child’s father, took the child after violently stabbing the child's mother. The abductor had a history of aggravated assault, domestic violence, drug trafficking and robbery. Law enforcement located the vehicle the abductor had been driving but did not locate the child or abductor at that time.  An individual who saw the AMBER Alert on television called 911, reporting the abductor had come to his home looking for someone who didn’t live there.  The caller provided a new vehicle description that led to the arrest of the abductor and the safe rescue of the child.

July 28, 2011
Dayton, OH
An AMBER Alert was issued for a 2-year-old child abducted from Dayton, OH. The child's father abducted the child from a moving van after a dispute with the child's maternal relatives. The abductor fired shots at the van before fleeing on foot. Police were able to locate the suspect based on multiple leads received from citizens who heard the AMBER Alert in conjunction with the police investigation. Following negotiation with the police, the abductor surrendered, and the child was rescued.

May 22, 2011
Rock Hill, SC
An AMBER Alert was issued for a 2-year-old boy who had been abducted from the scene of his mother’s murder. A truck driver who had seen the Alert on the DOT signs spotted the vehicle involved in the AMBER Alert heading south on I-20. He immediately contacted Lexington County Sheriff’s Office with the sighting. Law enforcement tried to apprehend the suspect when they realized the subject was heading toward Aiken County. They notified Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and the suspect was pulled over and arrested. The child was safely rescued from the back seat of the vehicle. Several hours after the arrest, the subject confessed to shooting the mother after an argument over the child.

May 11, 2011
Chattanooga, TN
An AMBER Alert was issued for a 15-year-old girl who was reported missing by her mother to the Chattanooga Police Department. Her father, a sex offender on parole from South Carolina, threatened the mother and absconded with the girl after an altercation at the mother's residence. Evidence was also located that showed the girl was possibly being abused by her father. The suspect had also stolen a vehicle from his father the same day advising advised he was not going to go back to jail. The father and child were located in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee by a clerk at a gas station who had seen the AMBER Alert on the lottery boards. The child was safely rescued and returned to her mother. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody.

April 9, 2011
Genoa, NE
A 4-year-old boy was abducted from home by his aunt, who was known to be involved with drugs and had history of disappearing for 3 or 4 days at a time.  The aunt was believed to be mentally unstable, had a history of violence, and did not have child seat in the vehicle.  An AMBER Alert was issued because police believed the child was in danger of serious bodily harm or death.  A clerk who had seen the AMBER Alert on the lottery terminal at her store recognized the van, suspect, and child.  She immediately contacted the Hastings Police Department and the child was safely rescued.

March 8, 2011
Porterville, CA
On March 8, 2011, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department requested an AMBER Alert for an 8-month-old boy who was abducted by his estranged biological father, after the father had broken into the child’s home.  The boy’s mother attempted to intervene and was subsequently kidnapped as well.  An individual heard the AMBER Alert broadcast and notified law enforcement of the suspect’s location.  The boy and his mother were safely rescued, and the suspect was taken into custody.

Read Past AMBER Alert Success Stories

AMBER Alert Success Stories 2010
AMBER Alert Success Stories 2009
Amber Alert Success Stories 2008
AMBER Alert Success Stories 2007
AMBER Alert Success Stories 2006
AMBER Alert Success Stories 2005
AMBER Alert Success Stories 2004
AMBER Alert Success Stories 2003
AMBER Alert Success Stories 2002 - 1998