JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville has been under an Amber Alert for Lonzie Barton since July 24 that has now gone nationwide, but now that the case has turned into a homicide investigation, many people are wondering why the alert is still needed.
Because of the Amber Alert, the face of little Lonzie has been on TV screens, billboards and posted across social media. It's why people are coming forward with information, tips and support in the search for the missing 21-month-old ,and it's why Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Chief Tom Hackney wants to keep it in place even though he said the disappearance is now a homicide investigation.
"One positive thing -- and I don't want to abuse the Amber Alert system at all -- it keeps this in the forefront (of people's minds).
Amber alerts are designed with one main criteria in mind, which is to quickly find missing children, and nationwide they follow a strict guideline. The case has to meet these three criteria to be considered for an Amber Alert:
- The child is at risk of serious injury or death.
- There is sufficient descriptive information of the child, captor or captor's vehicle to issue an alert.
- The child must be 17 years old or younger.
And though there are specific guidelines for issuing an alert, there are no set guidelines for canceling one except, as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement says, to end it when the child is found.
That's why there is still an Amber Alert for children like Haleigh Cummings, Trenton Duckett and other missing children who have not been spotted for years.
And that's why Hackney wants this Amber Alert to stay up and as active as possible, because he does not want this case to go cold like others have in the past.
"At the point that we have now, we have a pretty strong feeling of what happened. But I can't say at 100 percent until I can have that 100 percent conversation with the folks from FDLE," Hackney said.
News4Jax crime and safety expert Gil Smith agrees with Hackney.
"Well, in this particular case it would be difficult to cancel it right now. Remember we've gotten over 200 leads at this point. And some leads are saying I saw the child in a car on I-95," Smith said. "Even though it is a murder investigation right now, there is still the possibility someone could have the child. You want to keep the alert out there so people are still looking out and watching."
FDLE and other law enforcement agencies said they will keep an Amber Alert on file until a child is found, even though it may not be an active case.