Why no Amber Alert for Kyron Horman?
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EUGENE, Ore. - Time is of the essence when a child is missing.
But five days after Kyron Horman disappeared from his school, uthorities still have not issued an Amber Alert.
KVAL News has received numerous calls, e-mails and Web comments asking why, because we have all seen the pictures: the faces of abducted children, broadcast around the U.S. on TV, the Internet and reader boards.
But if you visit the Amber Alert website, there's no alert for Kyron Horman.
That's because, while Kyron is missing and there is a desperate search to find the 7-year-old boy from Portland, his case doesn't fit the strict rules for Amber Alert.
Oregon State Police started their the Amber Alert program in 2002. Under Department of Justice guidelines, for OSP to issue an Amber Alert:
- Law enforcement must confirm that an abduction has taken place.
- The child must be at risk of serious injury or death.
- There must be sufficient descriptive information on the child, captor, or captor's vehicle to issue an alert.
- The child must be 17 years old or younger.
Right now, authorities still aren't calling Kyron's disappearance an "abduction." He is considered a "missing endangered child."
There also are no descriptions of a suspect or suspect vehicle.
But while there is no active Amber Alert, word is spreading across the country. There are several dedicated Facebook pages related to Kyron's disappearance.
Kyron is also on the Missing and Exploited Children website and at the top of the FBI's endangered list.
Eugene police and authorities across the Northwest are also distributing missing flyers hoping someone spots the boy or calls in a tip that brings Kyron home.
