GASTONIA, N.C. — As multiple law enforcement agencies search for six-year-old Maddox Ritch, many people are asking why there hasn't been an AMBER Alert for the boy with special needs.
Gastonia Police and other first responders have been looking for Maddox since he vanished Saturday at Rankin Lake Park. On Monday, crews expanded the search by two miles and incorporated drones into the investigation. The police chief pleaded with the public to call 704-869-1075 with tips.
“No piece of information is too small. Something you may think is insignificant could be helpful to our case," said Chief Robert Helton.
On Monday night, Gastonia Police explained in a news release why an AMBER Alert had not been sent out yet.
"The information investigators have developed does not meet the criteria for issuing an AMBER Alert as detailed on the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NC DPS) website," police said.
According to the criteria of an AMBER Alert, the child must be:
- 17 years old or younger
- believed to have been abducted
- not taken by a parent (unless the child is in danger)
- not believed to be a runaway or voluntarily missing
In addition, the abduction has to be reported to and investigated by a law enforcement agency, according to the NC DPS website, which has been done in this case.
Gastonia Police assured residents they were in contact with the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons.
"The agency is on standby to issue an alert if additional information is developed to meet the criteria," said police.
The department also asked the public not to spread rumors on social media about the search for Maddox.
"Do not be responsible for redirecting our efforts away from where they need to be...we should all unite to #FindMaddox," the post read.
The AMBER Alert System started in 1996 after nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, TX, then brutally murdered. AMBER stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response.
- The person is believed to be missing
- The person is believed to be suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's disease, or a disability that requires them to be protected from potential abuse or other physical harm, neglect, or exploitation
- A legal custodian of the missing person has submitted a missing person's report to the local law enforcement agency where the person went missing
- Law enforcement reports the incident to the NC Center for Missing Persons
