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AMBER Alert issued: The search is underway for the missing Texas teenager who was last seen on Sunday


AMBER Alert issued: The search is underway for the missing Texas teenager who was last seen on Sunday

Texas officials issued an AMBER Alert for a missing 16-year-old teenager Tuesday.

Zoe Rowbotham was last seen on September 29 at the intersection of Bluebonnet and Arwine drives in Hurst.

Officials believe Rowbotham is on foot. According to police, her mental capacity is impaired and she requires medication.

Zoe Rowbotham misses Texas AMBER Alert
Zoe Rowbotham, 16, was last seen on Sunday in Hurst, Texas.

Hurst Police Department

She wore a black T-shirt with white lettering, black shorts and white shoes. Rowbotham is described as white with brown hair and hazel eyes. He is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 240 pounds.

Anyone with information on Rowbotham's whereabouts should call the Hurst Police Department at 817-788-7180.

Hurst is a city in Tarrant County between Fort Worth and Dallas, but a suburb of Fort Worth. According to the 2020 census, Hurst has a population of 40,413.

This is the second AMBER Alert from Texas this week. On Monday, Rockwall authorities canceled a listing for 6-month-old Nova Brady after she was found just hours after the listing.

What is an AMBER alarm?

AMBER Alert is a nationwide notification system that alerts the public to missing children under the age of 18.

The warnings are shared via radio, television, road signs, cell phones and other data-enabled devices.

Last year, 1,200 children were found thanks to the AMBER alert system and 180 children were rescued as a result of 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 on an AMBER Alert has been reported missing to law enforcement. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to immediately engage the community to assist in the search for and safe recovery of a missing child,” Alan S. Nanavaty, executive director of Special Programs for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, in an email Newsweek.

Nanavaty said on average, fewer than 200 AMBER alerts are issued each year. The warnings are transmitted via radio, television, traffic 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 also uses opportunities to include posters and social media distribution to address AMBER Alerts to the public, Nanavaty said.

Newsweek created a map using 2022 data that shows states saw the most AMBER alerts in 2022. According to the data, there were 31 Amber Alerts in Texas in 2022.

Active AMBER notifications

There is another active AMBER Alert for a child in Tennessee.

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

He is described as 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.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story.

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