CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Phones across North Carolina alerted people to an Ashanti Alert for a 22-year-old woman who was believed to be endangered and missing near Raleigh earlier this week.
When the alert was issued Monday, there was a lot of confusion on what an Ashanti Alert is and how it differs from an Amber Alert or a Silver Alert.
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WHAT WE FOUND
According to the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Ashanti Alert Act was signed into law in 2018. The act is named after Ashanti Billie, a 19-year-old Virginia woman who went missing in 2017. Her body was found in Charlotte two weeks later. The case raised questions because she fell outside the scope of other alert programs.
For an Ashanti Alert to be issued, certain criteria must be met, according to the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons. First, an adult between 18 and 64 must be identified as a missing person.
If the circumstances indicate that the missing person's physical safety may be at risk, or they were abducted or kidnapped, then an Ashanti Alert will be issued.
The process for an Ashanti Alert is similar to other alerts. According to North Carolina law, an Ashanti Alert can only be issued if all the criteria is met.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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