{"id":123424,"date":"2026-01-14T22:44:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T22:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/123424\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T22:44:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T22:44:43","slug":"amber-alert-marks-30-years-of-saving-lives-in-utah-and-nationwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/123424\/","title":{"rendered":"Amber Alert marks 30 years of saving lives in Utah and nationwide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today marked the 30th anniversary of the Amber Alert system \u2014 the emergency notifications seen on our phones and heard on broadcasts when a child is in imminent danger. All these years later, officials said the program continues to save lives in Utah and around the country.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

As recently as November, 2025, an Ogden mother<\/a> made an emotional plea after her 13-year-old daughter went missing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told her I loved her and I would see her in the morning. Then when I went to go get her, she wasn\u2019t home \u2014 she was gone,\u201d the mother said.<\/p>\n

Thanks to an Amber Alert, the girl was found and a suspect was captured.<\/p>\n

And in March of 2025, two toddlers \u2014 ages 2 and 3 \u2014 disappeared in Riverdale. Photos were released, an alert was issued, and hours later the children were found safe. Their father was arrested.<\/p>\n

Since 2002, when Utah launched its Amber Alert program \u2014 in the wake of Elizabeth Smart\u2019s abduction \u2014 there have been dozens of alerts involving nearly 100 children.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had 77 Amber Alerts since it was created here in Utah with 97 kids a part of those alerts,\u201d said Mandy Biesinger with Utah\u2019s Bureau of Criminal Identification<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Biesinger says the system works. \u201cWe see success after success that when an Amber Alert is issued, those kids are found, recovered and returned safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

The national program began after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted in Texas 30 years ago. Since then, officials said Amber Alerts have helped recover nearly 1,300 children nationwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re hugely successful. We\u2019re very grateful for the public and law enforcement\u2014the way they partner when an Amber Alert is issued,\u201d Biesinger added.<\/p>\n

Law enforcement agencies must follow strict guidelines before issuing an alert, including confirming the child is in imminent danger.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Safe in 60: How Amber Alerts work<\/a><\/p>\n

Ogden man charged with kidnapping that led to Amber Alert extradited to Utah<\/a><\/p>\n

We want to hear from you.<\/p>\n

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t
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