Florida Amber Alert: What to know about today's alert in kidnapping of 8-month-old girl

Samantha Neely, Fort Myers News-Press
Updated ·3 min read

An Amber Alert for 8-month-old girl in Broward County was cancelled after she was found safe, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Why did I get an Amber Alert today?

An Amber Alert was previously issued in Florida on Wednesday morning for 8-month-old girl in Broward County.

According to the alert, Amelia Martinez was last seen near SW 148 Avenue in Davie. It also noted that the child may be in the company of 34-year-old Davie resident, Arys Martinez.

Amelia has brown hair and brown eyes.

What is an Amber Alert?

An Amber Alert, or a child abduction emergency alert, is a message distributed by a child abduction alert system to ask the public for help in finding abducted children. AMBER is a backronym standing for "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response."

Why is it called AMBER Alert? Florida’s Amber Alert system: What to know about state’s plan when a child goes missing

What is the Florida AMBER Plan?

According to the state's website, the Florida Amber Plan is an Alert that is "issued through radio, television, highway Dynamic Message Signs, lottery machines, missingchildrenalert.com, and other resources that have been made available when a child abduction occurs."

The plan is meant to alert the public in a much broader scope than just the immediate area of the abduction.

How does Florida's Amber Alert process work?

Per the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the investigating local law enforcement agency will contact the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse.

The abducted child's information is taken over the phone. It is decided by the local law enforcement agency and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement what information is to be broadcasted and the areas in which to broadcast.

How is an Amber Alert activated in Florida?

There are five criteria that have to be met before an Amber alert can be issued in Florida:

  • 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

Didn't get the alert? How do I sign up for Amber Alerts?

If an alert is active in your area, it should automatically appear on your phone. You can also sign up for social media accounts that will notify you when an Amber Alert is issued:

  • On Facebook: Visit www.facebook.com/AMBERAlert and “Like” the page to receive Amber Alerts in your newsfeed. Facebook also automatically notifies users near the location of an Amber Alert.

  • On Instagram: If an Amber Alert is activated by law enforcement and you are in the designated search area, the alert will appear in your Instagram feed.

  • On Twitter: Follow @AMBERAlert to receive rapid Amber Alert notifications on your Twitter feed and share the alert with your followers

What should I do if I spot a missing child from an alert?

According to SafeTee, experts said that if you have found a lost child, take action and don't hesitate to help. Once you walk up, introduce yourself and get on their level so they feel safe.

Once the child is comfortable and you might have asked a few questions on if they're OK, they suggest calling authorities and alerting them that you found the child. It's important not to move the child too far from where they were originally found.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida AMBER Alert for Broward County 8-month-old cancelled