System Designed to Save Kids Works to Perfection

When 18-month-old Kenyon Brock was pulled safely from a car in Jefferson City on Tuesday, it was just four hours after he had been taken from his crib.

The Amber Alert system had worked exactly as it was designed. Moments after a Jefferson City radio station aired the alert, a motorist spotted the suspect's car and the alleged abductors were in police custody 40 minutes later.

A Jefferson City man and a Kansas City area woman have been charged in the case.

Officials said locating an abducted child within the first three hours is crucial to the child's recovery - and Amber Alerts can help speed that recovery.

Amber Alerts are voluntary programs among law enforcement and transportation agencies, news media outlets and wireless providers to inform the public about an abducted child.

When a child abduction is reported to a local law enforcement agency, that agency contacts the Missouri Highway Patrol to determine whether the case fits the criteria for an Amber Alert.