New Mexico State Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 5-year-old girl who is the subject of an AMBER Alert and believed to be in danger.

Kaelani Gonzales was last seen Monday leaving Kirtland Elementary School in Albuquerque around 4 p.m. She was in a black SUV without plates with her grandmother Marianne Garnand, 53.

Gonzales is described as a woman with black hair and brown eyes. She is 3 feet tall and weighs 46 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pink sweater, white pants and white shoes.

“New Mexico State Police have reason to believe this child is in danger,” police said in the AMBER Alert.

Anyone with information about this case or the child’s whereabouts should contact New Mexico State Police at (505) 841-9256.

What is an AMBER Alert?

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

Alerts are shared on radio, television, street signs, cell phones and other data-enabled devices.

Last year, 1,200 children were found through the AMBER Alert system and 180 children were rescued through emergency alerts.

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

“Every child listed 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 and safe recovery of a missing child “, Alan S. Nanavaty, executive director of special programs for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, told Newsweek.

Nanavaty said that on average, fewer than 200 AMBER Alerts are issued each year. Alerts are broadcast by radio, television, street signs, cell phones and other data-enabled devices. The AMBER Alert system is used in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Indian Country, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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

News week created a map using 2022 data showing which states saw the most AMBER alerts in 2022. According to the data, there were 31 AMBER alerts in Texas in 2022.

Active AMBER alerts

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

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

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

Do you have a story News week should it cover? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact [email protected]