(This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information.)
Update: At 9:14 a.m., the Tavares Police Department sent a news release saying that Jace and his grandmother are at the Lady Lake Police Department. The grandmother, Kelly Dasilva, is in custody and will be transported to the Tavares Police Department for questioning. Jace, 5, is safe and will be turned over to the Florida Department of Children and Families.
An Amber Alert was issued in Lake County, Florida on Monday morning for a missing 5-year-old boy believed to have been taken unlawfully by a family member during a DCF investigation.
An Amber Alert, or a child abduction emergency alert, is a message distributed by a child abduction alert system to ask the public for help in finding abducted children. AMBER is a backronym for “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response.”
Why did I get an Amber alert on my phone?
Jace Saunders went missing in Tavares and may be in the company of his 50-year-old grandma Kelly Day-Dasilva, Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials said. Police have obtained a warrant charging Day-Dasilva with kidnapping and interference of child custody.
Authorities said the boy was last seen at 1:19 p.m. Sunday wearing a black graphic T-shirt and dark-colored pajamas in the 1000th block of Wells Avenue in Tavares. They may be traveling in a black Honda Accord.
What to know about Jace Saunders
Jace is approximately 3-foot and 55 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He has autism and is semi-verbal.
According to the Tavares Police Department, his parents – Taylor Judy and Brandon Saunders – were arrested on Sunday for interference with child custody related to an ongoing Florida Department of Children and Families investigation.
Where is Tavares, Florida?
Tavares is the county seat of Central Florida’s Lake County, between the Villages and Orlando.
What should I do if I spot a missing child from an alert?
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call 911 or Tavares police at (352) 343-2101, option 4.
“If located, do not approach,” FDLE says. “Contact law enforcement immediately.”
FDLE says if anyone sees the child, abductor and/or vehicle in question, they should contact their local law enforcement agency or 911 with the information including:
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street address or highway
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any observable behaviors on the part of the abductor or child
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The time caller witnessed the sighting
Why is it called an Amber Alert?
That effort came in response to the case of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who had been abducted and killed in Arlington, Texas in 1996.
The first Amber Alert program following her murder, with Dallas-Ft. Worth radio and television stations banding together to use the federal Emergency Alert System to quickly broadcast news of child abductions, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Soon after, AMBER, for “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response,” became part of federal and state laws.
What is the Florida AMBER Plan?
According to the state’s website, the Florida Amber Plan is an Alert that is “issued through radio, television, highway Dynamic Message Signs, lottery machines, missingchildrenalert.com, and other resources that have been made available when a child abduction occurs.”
The plan is meant to alert the public in a much broader scope than just the immediate area of the abduction.
How is an Amber Alert activated in Florida?
Five criteria have to be met before an Amber alert can be issued in Florida:
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The child is under the age of 18
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Law enforcement has a well-founded belief, based on an active investigation, that a kidnapping has occurred
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Law enforcement has a well-founded belief, based on an active investigation, that the child is in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury
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There is a detailed description of the child and or the abductor/vehicle to broadcast to the public
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The law enforcement agency of jurisdiction recommends the activation
How do I sign up for Amber Alerts?
If an alert is active in your area, it should automatically appear on your phone. You can also sign up for social media accounts that will notify you when an Amber Alert is issued:
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On Facebook: Visit www.facebook.com/AMBERAlert and “Like” the page to receive Amber Alerts in your newsfeed. Facebook also automatically notifies users near the location of an Amber Alert.
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On Instagram: If an Amber Alert is activated by law enforcement and you are in the designated search area, the alert will appear in your Instagram feed.
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On Twitter: Follow @AMBERAlert to receive rapid Amber Alert notifications on your Twitter feed and share the alert with your followers
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida AMBER Alert: 5-year-old boy abducted from Lake County
