AMBER Alert launched in Texas for missing children

Three children in Texas are the subjects of an AMBER Alert issued Monday from Austin.

Authorities are searching for 10-year-old Ninel Anseume, 2-year-old Elsi Anseume and 4-year-old Abraham Anseume. They were last seen around 5 p.m. on Sunday in the 100 block of Palma Circle in Austin, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The suspect is 31-year-old Sherles Machado Hernandez. He is considered to be armed and dangerous, according to the AMBER Alert. He is said to be 5 feet 9 inches and weigh 160 pounds.

The suspect’s vehicle is described as a silver 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander with the Texas license plate TWL2922.

All of the children are described as having brown hair, brown eyes and being Hispanic. Ninel is 4 feet 10 inches and 80 pounds. Abraham is 3 feet 4 inches and 44 pounds, and Elsi is 2 feet 8 inches and 31 pounds.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Austin Police Department at 512-974-5210.

What is an AMBER Alert?

AMBER Alert is a nationwide notification system used to alert the public of missing children under the age of 18.

The alerts are shared across radio, TV, road signs, cellphones and other data-enabled devices.

As of last year, 1,200 children were found because of the AMBER Alert system and 180 children were rescued as a result of the emergency alerts.

In order for an alert to be issued, an abduction must have occurred, the child must be at risk of serious injury or death and there has to be descriptive information about the child, the suspect or the suspect’s vehicle.

“Every child featured in an AMBER Alert has been reported missing to law enforcement. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the community to assist in the search for and safe recovery of a missing child,” Alan S. Nanavaty, Executive Director of Special Programs for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, in an email to Newsweek.

Nanavaty said on average, there are generally fewer than 200 AMBER Alerts issued each year. The alerts are broadcast through radio, TV, road signs, cell phones, and other data-enabled devices. The AMBER Alert system is being used in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Indian country, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also leverages ways to include posters and social media distribution to amplify AMBER Alerts to the public, Nanavaty said.

Newsweek created a map using 2022 data showing states have seen the most AMBER alerts in 2022. According to the data, there were 31 Amber Alerts in Texas in 2022.

Active AMBER Alerts

There is one other active AMBER Alert for a boy in Tennessee.

Sebastian Rogers, 15, has been missing since February 26. He was last seen at his mother and stepfather’s home in Sumner County, Tennessee.

He is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs around 120 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes and he wears glasses. He was last seen wearing black sweatpants and a black sweatshirt.

Anyone with information about Rogers is being asked to call the Sumner County Emergency Communications Center at 615-451-3838 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

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