A bill moving through the Texas Legislature aims to close the gap between the time a child is missing and when an Amber Alert can be issued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
House Bill 3556, sponsored by Texas Rep. Lynn Stucky, R-Sanger, would allow the head of local law enforcement to issue a localized alert when a child is missing without confirmation of an abduction. That is the high threshold requirement needed to issue an Amber Alert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dubbed an \u201cAthena Alert\u201d, the bill unanimously passed the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety. It was named after Athena Strand, the 7-year-old girl who vanished from her Paradise home in Nov. 2022 and found dead two days later<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Wise County grand jury charged Tanner Horner, a package delivery who delivered packages to Strand\u2019s home the day she disappeared, with kidnapping and murder. According to police, Horner confessed that he accidentally hit the girl<\/a> with his truck and panicked when she said she would tell her dad. Horner said he killed the girl with his bare hands and then dumped her body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Strand\u2019s mother Maitlyn Gandy testified before the Texas House committee this week and recalled asking for an Amber Alert to be issued as soon as she found out her daughter was missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnfortunately, I kept getting met with the same response that she, in her case, did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert to be issued,\u201d Gandy said. \u201cI don\u2019t want someone to feel how I feel. I don\u2019t want a mother to have to carry home an urn with her children\u2019s ashes. I don\u2019t want to watch another grandparent mourn the way my dad did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The legislation, if passed, would allow law enforcement to activate an alert in a localized area within a 100-mile radius and neighboring counties shortly after a child goes missing. Benson Varghese, Gandy\u2019s attorney, also testified in Austin this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Issuing the \u2018Athena alert\u2019 would be up to the discretion of law enforcement officials, Varghese said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s a reason the threshold is so high for an Amber Alert. It\u2019s because it is a statewide notification that could even go to multiple states,\u201d he said. \u201cNow having this tool that allows law enforcement to get the word out would be really helpful, particularly in rural areas. In an urban environment, you\u2019ve got lots of media coverage but the farther out you, the less coverage you might have. Less systems you\u2019ll have in place to get a word out like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the bill passing the committee without objection, supporters of the bill are hoping it will be fast-tracked for a House vote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" House Bill 3556, sponsored by Texas Rep. Lynn Stucky, R-Sanger, would allow the head of local law enforcement to issue a localized alert when a child is missing without confirmation of an abduction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":567,"featured_media":7627699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-04-29T23:20:46Z","apple_news_api_id":"d8cb4fb6-ee69-479d-be10-30742debb2b3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-04-29T23:22:08Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A2MtPtu5pR52-EDB0Leuysw","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"syndicated_id":"","should_nationalize":false,"nbc_subtitle":"The first grader from Paradise, Texas was reported missing on Nov. 30, 2022, and\u00a0her body was found two days later","nbc_first_published_date":"April 29, 2023","nbc_prevent_modified_update":false,"nbc_linkout_title":"","nbc_linkout_url":"","nbc_linkout_excerpt_link":"","nbc_primary_category_id":1098,"nbc_primary_tag_id":775752,"nbc_alexa_brief":"","nbc_social_page_title":"","nbc_page_title":"Bill Named After Athena Strand to Change How Missing Children Alerts Are Issued","nbc_seo_description":"A bill moving through the Texas Legislature aims to close the gap between the time a child is missing and when an Amber Alert can be issued.","nbc_social_description":"","nbc_national_headline":"","entities":"","lede_video_id":"1:8:3247093","lead_embed_url":"","featured_media_caption":"","nbc_canonical_market":"","nbc_canonical_url":"","nbc_hide_from_recirculation":"","nbc_hide_from_search":"","dark_mode":"","title_below":"","disable_copyright":"","copyright_override":"","nbc_syndication_category":"","nbc_national_collections":[],"nopreroll":false,"ninja_forms_form":"","sst_source_id":"","nbc_disable_legacy_embeds":false,"nbc_legacy_processEmbedsFirst":"","cnbc_logo":"","cnbc_linkout":"","nbc_feed_loader_prevent_updates":"","post_video_prompt":"","should_automatic_app_promotion":"1","should_automatic_app_ad":"1","nbc_checkout_experience_enabled":false,"should_linkout_to_syndication_parent":"","cnbc_data_hash":"","sponsor_image":0,"sponsor_url":"","rsn_disable_insider":false,"nbc_updated_post_date":"","feed_remote_id":"","feed_thumbnail_url":""},"categories":[1098],"tags":[9378,775752,58210,168],"nbc_push_tag":[],"sensitivity":[],"collection":[291211,1102],"source":"","prepublish_checks":{"nbc\/require-category":{"status":"complete","message":"Article has categories.","data":null},"nbc\/require-tag":{"status":"complete","message":"Article has tags.","data":null},"nbc\/validate-lead-embed":{"status":"complete","message":"Lead Embed empty.","data":null},"nbc\/published-lead-video":{"status":"complete","message":"Article has published lead video.","data":null},"nbc\/page-slug":{"status":"complete","message":"Post is not a page.","data":null}},"apple_news_notices":[],"network_object_id":"1:8:3247054","post_brand":"NBC","rights":{"1:1":0,"1:2":0,"1:3":0,"1:4":0,"1:5":0,"1:6":0,"1:7":0,"1:8":1,"1:9":0,"1:10":0,"1:11":0,"1:12":0,"1:13":0,"1:14":0,"1:15":0,"1:16":0,"1:17":0,"1:18":0,"1:19":0,"1:20":0,"1:21":0,"1:22":0,"1:23":0,"1:24":0,"1:25":0,"1:26":0,"1:27":0,"1:28":0,"1:29":0,"1:30":0,"1:31":0,"1:32":0,"1:33":0,"1:34":0,"1:35":0,"1:36":0,"1:37":0,"1:38":0,"1:41":0,"1:42":0,"1:43":0,"1:44":0,"1:45":0,"1:46":0,"1:47":0,"1:48":0,"1:49":0,"1:50":0,"1:51":0},"syndication_rights":{"1:1":0,"1:2":0,"1:3":0,"1:4":0,"1:5":0,"1:6":0,"1:7":0,"1:8":1,"1:9":0,"1:10":0,"1:11":0,"1:12":0,"1:13":0,"1:14":0,"1:15":0,"1:16":0,"1:17":0,"1:18":0,"1:19":0,"1:20":0,"1:21":0,"1:22":0,"1:23":0,"1:24":0,"1:25":0,"1:26":0,"1:27":0,"1:28":0,"1:29":0,"1:30":0,"1:31":0,"1:32":0,"1:33":0,"1:34":0,"1:35":0,"1:36":0,"1:37":0,"1:38":0,"1:41":0,"1:42":0,"1:43":0,"1:44":0,"1:45":0,"1:46":0,"1:47":0,"1:48":0,"1:49":0,"1:50":0,"1:51":0},"syndication":{"nationalized":false,"syndicated":false,"syndicated_out":false,"linked":true,"id":"","site_id":""},"content_blocks":[{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n A bill moving through the Texas Legislature aims to close the gap between the time a child is missing and when an Amber Alert can be issued.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n House Bill 3556, sponsored by Texas Rep. Lynn Stucky, R-Sanger, would allow the head of local law enforcement to issue a localized alert when a child is missing without confirmation of an abduction. That is the high threshold requirement needed to issue an Amber Alert.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n Dubbed an \u201cAthena Alert\u201d, the bill unanimously passed the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety. It was named after Athena Strand, the 7-year-old girl who vanished from her Paradise home in Nov. 2022 and found dead two days later<\/a>.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n A Wise County grand jury charged Tanner Horner, a package delivery who delivered packages to Strand\u2019s home the day she disappeared, with kidnapping and murder. According to police, Horner confessed that he accidentally hit the girl<\/a> with his truck and panicked when she said she would tell her dad. Horner said he killed the girl with his bare hands and then dumped her body.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n Strand\u2019s mother Maitlyn Gandy testified before the Texas House committee this week and recalled asking for an Amber Alert to be issued as soon as she found out her daughter was missing.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n \u201cUnfortunately, I kept getting met with the same response that she, in her case, did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert to be issued,\u201d Gandy said. \u201cI don\u2019t want someone to feel how I feel. I don\u2019t want a mother to have to carry home an urn with her children\u2019s ashes. I don\u2019t want to watch another grandparent mourn the way my dad did.\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n The legislation, if passed, would allow law enforcement to activate an alert in a localized area within a 100-mile radius and neighboring counties shortly after a child goes missing. Benson Varghese, Gandy\u2019s attorney, also testified in Austin this week.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n Issuing the \u2018Athena alert\u2019 would be up to the discretion of law enforcement officials, Varghese said.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n \u201cThere\u2019s a reason the threshold is so high for an Amber Alert. It\u2019s because it is a statewide notification that could even go to multiple states,\u201d he said. \u201cNow having this tool that allows law enforcement to get the word out would be really helpful, particularly in rural areas. In an urban environment, you\u2019ve got lots of media coverage but the farther out you, the less coverage you might have. Less systems you\u2019ll have in place to get a word out like this.\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"namespace":"core","rendered":"\n With the bill passing the committee without objection, supporters of the bill are hoping it will be fast-tracked for a House vote.<\/p>\n"}],"nbc_attributes":{"size":"S"},"bylines":[{"description":"Lili Zheng <\/span>\nLili Zheng joined NBC5 in August 2019 as a general assignment reporter on weekdays and Saturdays.\n\n\n\nPrior to her time in Dallas-Fort Worth, she worked at the NBC affiliate KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City. Her areas of reporting ranged from crime to the capitol, including key policy issues and the historic teacher walkout of 2018.\n\n\n\nWhile in the Sooner State, Lili also covered severe weather and a number of high-profile court cases. She was the principal reporter in the opioid crisis trial against drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson.\n\n\n\nE-mail Lili<\/a> | Follow Lili on Twitter<\/a> | Like Lili on Facebook<\/a>\n\n\n\nAn East Coast native, her on-air career began in Salisbury, Maryland where she was a weekend anchor\/producer and reporter for the ABC affiliate WMDT-TV.\n\n\n\nShe holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in broadcast journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was an active member of Delta Zeta sorority and worked with Nightline on ABC News in New York City as a college senior.\n\n\n\nShe will soon hold a master's degree in political science from Virginia Tech. 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