Could an Amber Alert have saved Jahmeshia Conner? (video)

The question is difficult to ask, and there is no way to know what could happen if one could go back in time and do things over. What we do know, however, is that an Amber Alert was not issued for Jahmeshia Conner, a 12 year old girl who disappeared and was later found dead.

Jahmeshia disappeared on November 15, 2009, her body was found on November 30, 2009 in an alley approximately one block from her home. An autopsy confirmed that she had been strangled.

Throughout the two weeks of her disappearance, an Amber Alert had not been issued, and media was not alerted on a large scale basis. Her entry in the FBI database was listed as ‘missing person juvenile.'

Authorities approached the case as if Jahmeshia had run away, even though her family insisted she hadn’t. One of the most tragic aspects of Jahmeshia’s case, is that the first time media heard about the child, was when they reported she had been found murdered.

Each state determines their own Amber Alert plan, however, guidelines are initiated by the United States Department of Justice. There is no doubt that police intuition and gut instinct plays a vital role in determining whether a child’s abduction qualifies for an Amber Alert. For an Amber Alert to be issued in Illinois, (Jahmeshia Conner disappeared from Chicago, Illinois) four elements must be met.

According to the Illinois Amber Alert website, law enforcement must confirm that a child has been abducted. The second element is that the child must be under the age of 16 and have a proven mental or physical disability. The third requirement is that law enforcement must believe that the child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death. Finally, the fourth requirement states that there must be enough descriptive information regarding the child, the child’s abductor, or the abductor’s vehicle to indicate that an Amber Alert would help locate the child.

Did Jahmeshia Conner meet the following requirements? The first indicator is that law enforcement must confirm that a child has been abducted. Jahmeshia had boarded a bus on November 15, 2009 on her way home. She never arrived. Why didn’t the Chicago Police think she had been abducted and list her as a missing person juvenile, which is equally translated as ‘voluntarily missing?’

Did the Chicago Police believe Jahmeshia was a runaway and listed her as a missing person juvenile for that reason? If so, why are they now backtracking and denying they listed her as a runaway?

There are many questions and only one thing is certain. A beautiful 12 year old girl is dead, and though we’ll never know if an Amber Alert would have saved her life, it is apparent that one should have been issued.
 

Nancy Grace Video: Jahmeshia Conner

Could an Amber Alert have saved Jahmeshia Conner? (video)