ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The recent AMBER Alert for a missing toddler in St. Petersburg is rare.
There have only been a handful of AMBER Alerts issued for children in the Tampa Bay area over the last five years, including a Hillsborough County baby in 2021 who was found safe in the back of a stolen car.
In 2018, an AMBER Alert was issued for a Largo two-year-old who was later found dead in a park. His mother was convicted of his murder.
In this current case, St. Petersburg police didn't even know about the missing toddler until they started to investigate the mother's death.
When investigators realized she had a son that couldn't be located, they contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, who ultimately decided to push out the AMBER Alert.
Keep in mind, an AMBER Alert is different than a Missing Child Alert. There are specific criteria, including:
- The child is under the age of 18
- Law enforcement has a well-founded belief, based on an active investigation, that a kidnapping has occurred
- Law enforcement has a well-founded belief, based on an active investigation, that the child is in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury
- There is a detailed description of the child and or the abductor/vehicle to broadcast to the public
- The law enforcement agency of jurisdiction recommends the activation
In Florida, FDLE decides how far-reaching they want to issue the alert. People in the Tampa Bay area likely got the alert about the missing 2-year-old in St. Pete on their cellphone around 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
AMBER Alerts date back to the 1990s after a little girl named Amber went missing in Texas. She was found dead days later, and the public demanded action.
Florida adopted the system in 2000.
According to the latest report, there have been 228 AMBER Alerts in Florida with 72 cases resolved.