Missing Child Alert active to help locate the missing

A new Missing Child Alert will broaden options for alerting the public to missing children.

The Missing Child Alert was created when the 2023 Wisconsin Act 272 was signed in April 10. Act 272, the Prince Act, was named after five-year-old Prince McCree, who went missing in Milwaukee, and 10-year-old Lily Peters, who went missing in Chippewa Falls.

The new alert expands the criteria for issuing alerts for missing persons. The legislation revised § 175.51 and expanded the definition of a “person at risk” to include children.

It will be disseminated through the Wisconsin Crime Alert Network and a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) will be sent to mobile devices up to a five-mile radius from the last known location, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.

The alert will also be disseminated on Wisconsin Lottery terminals throughout Wisconsin, and on the Department of Transportation’s dynamic messaging boards.

Missing Child Alert criteria are as follows:

• The person at risk has not attained the age of 18 years, and the person is believed to be incapable of returning home without assistance, because of a physical or mental condition, or disability, or the person has not attained the age of 10 years.

• The individual(s) location is unknown and it is within 72 hours of the individual’s disappearance, and their situation does not qualify for another alert (e.i., Amber Alert).

• The individual has been entered as missing into National Crime Information Center (NCIC).

• There is sufficient information available to disseminate to the public that could assist in locating the missing person.

If a child is missing, contact local law enforcement to report the child missing. Law enforcement will work with Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and other law enforcement partners, to assess the next steps for finding the missing child.