Ashanti Alert, AMBER Alert, Silver Alert: What's the difference between alerts for missing people?

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Most North Carolinians are familiar with AMBER Alerts and Silver Alerts-but what about an Ashanti Alert?

An Ashanti Alert is issued when a person between the ages of 19-64 has been reported missing and the circumstances surrounding their disappearance could be the result of a kidnapping or abduction. In many of the cases, law enforcement fears the person may be in danger.

Why is it called an Ashanti Alert?

Ashanti Alerts are named after Ashanti Billie who was abducted and killed in 2017. She was abducted in Virginia and her body was found days later in North Carolina. No alert was issued in her disappearance because of her age, Ashanti was too old for an Amber Alert and was too young for a Silver Alert.

After the tragedy, her family and the Virginia governor worked with Virginia law enforcement agencies and the US Department of Justice to establish an alert for missing adults within that age group and it was named after Ashanti. On December 31, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Ashanti Alert Act of 2018. The National Ashanti Alert Network encourages, enhances, and integrates Ashanti Alert plans throughout the United States.

Who issues Ashanti Alerts?

Ashanti Alerts are a voluntary nationwide communication network to aid in the search and recovery of missing persons between the ages of 18 and 64. Ashanti Alerts provide for rapid dissemination of information to law enforcement agencies, media and the public about adults who have been reported missing along with suspect information in cases of suspected abduction, according to information on the DOJ's website.

These alerts can be transmitted through wireless devices and the Emergency Alert System. Alerts may be issued when an adult between the ages of 18 and 64 has been identified as a missing individual and has a proven mental or physical disability, or is missing under circumstances that indicate the person may be in danger, or that the adult's disappearance may not have been voluntary as in the case of an abduction or kidnapping.

Who was Ashanti Billie?

Ashanti Billie, 19, disappeared from work in Norfolk on September 18, 2017. She worked at a restaurant on Joint Her body was found 11 days later near a church in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a 2017 news release from US Attorney's Eastern District Office in Virginia. Navy veteran Eric Brian Brown has been charged in the case. In 2020, a judge ruled Brown was to incompetent to stand trial and delayed it indefinitely.

What is a Silver Alert?

The Silver Alert program is modeled after the Amber Alert program. North Carolina started issuing the alerts in 2007. Not all states issue Silver Alerts. The alerts are designed to alert the public if an adult who suffers from dementia or cognitive impairment is reported missing, a law officer will immediately enter that person into a missing persons database that will trigger a statewide "be on the lookout" bulletin and will notify media outlets much faster than in the past, the NC Department of Crime Control and Public Safety says.

Unlike Amber Alerts, Silver Alerts will not be broadcast on the emergency alert system, which transmits a tone signal to television and radio stations indicating that an emergency message will follow.

How AMBER Alerts are issued

Created in 1996, the Amber Alert was named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl from Arlington, TX, who was abducted and found dead in a pond four days later. Officially, the alert is a voluntary tool used by law enforcement agencies across the country, but only on a regional basis. While the first alerts were broadcast on televisions and radios, Amber Alerts have gained more prominence with the prevalence of cell phones, and in 2013 agencies started issuing automatic alerts through the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) program, instantly growing the alert's reach by millions.

The U.S. Department of Justice lists five recommendations for law enforcement agencies to consider before issuing an Amber Alert:

• There is reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred

• The law enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death

• There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child

• The abduction is of a child aged 17 years or younger

• The child's name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system