INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - On Monday, Independence police expect to release more information in an Amber Alert. The department issued a metro alert for 16-year-old Makenzie Green Wednesday when she didn't show up for school.
She was found Thursday morning in Saint Joseph with her ex-boyfriend. No word yet whether charges will be filed.
NBC Action News wanted to know why the alert wasn't posted on the state Amber Alert website. The Missouri Highway Patrol, which issues Amber Alerts, says the case did not qualify for a state alert.
"Independence activated the local Kansas City area AMBER alert for the runaway juveniles. They requested a statewide alert, however it didn't meet the AMBER Alert criteria. There was no proof of an abduction, no vehicle information, and no credible proof of endangerment. The AMBER portal is only activated on statewide alerts," says Captain Kim Hull.
Hull goes on to say, "It is the desire of the statewide AMBER Alert plan to use AMBER Alert's for abducted children when there is enough information to make the public a useful in the search. Without a doubt it is a valuable tool whenever an abduction occurs. Our fear is that if we use the AMBER Alert system for every runaway juvenile or parental abduction, the public will become desensitized. And we truly don't want that to happen."
For more information on the statewide AMBER Alert plan, visit the
Highway Patrol website.
