Amber Alert worked
There was some concern when Pennsylvania activated an Amber Alert system that people would fail to pay attention to bulletins alerting them that a child had been kidnapped. But the system proved its value on Easter Sunday, when police received a tip that led to the arrest of a kidnapping suspect and the safe return of a 13-year-old girl.
Robert Lee Hixson, 42, is in custody, charged with abducting his niece and killing her parents. Police believe that Hixson broke into the family’s Pocono Mountains home and killed his wife’s brother and his wife because he wanted to run off with their daughter. Another child, a 5-year-old girl, ran to a relative’s house, who alerted authorities.
Police were then able to issue a statewide alert over radio and television systems, providing a description of the girl and the truck that Hixson was believed to be driving. The system worked, when a tip came in that the truck was spotted 90 miles away in Berks County. Police were able to give chase and after a standoff, Hixson surrendered.
It’s possible that police might have been able to spot the truck on their own through an all points bulletin to law enforcement, but the more eyes on the lookout, the better. And the more information that is provided to the public, in this case a detailed description of the truck, the more likely people will be aware and report their suspicions.