On Monday, August 21, an Amber Alert was issued in Livonia, Michigan, for two 14-day-old twin boys who were reportedly abducted by two unidentified women. The infants were believed to have been taken from a hotel. The alert was one of only two active in the U.S. that day, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. By 10:15 a.m., Detroit police reported that the children had been located.
The Amber Alert for the missing twins was technically divided into two separate listings, but they were counted as one due to the shared circumstances. The other active alert was for Keshawn Williams, a 15-year-old boy who disappeared from Cleveland, Ohio, on June 23. Williams was thought to be with an unknown companion, and a black Jeep SUV with a temporary license plate was also involved.
Amber Alerts, an acronym for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, have been used since 1996 to rapidly disseminate information about serious child abduction cases, enabling community members to assist in the search. To issue an Amber Alert, law enforcement must confirm an abduction, determine that the child is at risk for serious harm or death, and have sufficient information to believe that a public broadcast will aid in locating the child and suspect.
The Amber Alert system is utilized in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Native American territories, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 27 other countries, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In Michigan, specific circumstances must exist for law enforcement to activate the alert system, such as the child being under 17 years old and suffering from a severe mental or physical disability, being a victim of kidnapping, or being in the company of a person with a confirmed criminal history of child abuse or neglect.
The missing infants, Montana Alexander Bridges and Matthew Jace Bridges, were believed to be with two women seen driving a black Jeep Cherokee in Livonia, Michigan. The infants were reportedly wearing only diapers. Police later released images of the two suspects and their vehicle.
Anyone with information was urged to contact Livonia police. Authorities have not released anymore details surrounding the case but that the boys are safe and have been found.