Rockwall 6-month-old found in Missouri, Amber Alert canceled
An Amber Alert issued Monday morning for a 6-month-old girl from Rockwall was canceled. Missouri Highway Patrol officers found the infant and the couple accused of kidnapping her near Springfield.
Police say the suspects are the girl's biological parents, Dakota Brady and Margaret Van Aken, who had recently lost custody. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services confirmed it removed the girl from her parents' care in May and placed her with a relative.
The Texas Department of Public Safety issued the Amber Alert after the girl was reported missing, last seen at 4:30 a.m. on the 300 block of Munson Street in Rockwall. The alert included the license plate number and description of a van the couple was driving.
Amber Alerts in Texas
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's latest data points to the most Amber Alerts being issued in Texas.
Between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023, 185 Amber Alerts were issued across 36 states. Data from the 2023 Annual Amber Alert Report shows that 26%, or 49 of those alerts, were issued in Texas. North Carolina had the second-most alerts issued — 17 — and Ohio came in third with 13 alerts issued.
The history of the Amber Alert
The first Amber Alert was issued January 13, 1996 after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was reported missing. The body of the little girl who lived in Arlington, Texas was found four days later in a creek.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children shares the story of a woman in the community who called for a public Emergency Alert System.
Diane Simone wanted community members to be alerted when there's a child missing so they could help in the search. She requested it be named after Amber Hagerman and hence, Amber's Plan was created in her memory.
RELATED: 28 years later, Arlington Police Department remains dedicated to finding Amber Hagerman's killer