Why Was No Amber Alert Issued To Find Missing Colorado Teen?
By MLC on October 11, 2022 at 12:15 AM EDT
Chloe Campbell, a missing Colorado teenager, has been found.
Colorado authorities confirmed 14-year-old Chloe was found alive on Monday, October 10, around 5 p.m. MT. She went missing 10 days ago.
“Boulder police first became aware of Chloe’s recent disappearance late in the day on October 1st,” Boulder PD explained.
Chloe Campbell Has Been Found!
Chloe’s father filed the missing person report.
She was last seen on September 30th at a High School football game around 6 p.m. MT hanging with two older men who her family described as “sketchy.”
Authorities believe the teenager purposefully took step to avoid being found.
When Chloe was discovered, she was about 26 miles in Thornton, which is a suburb located outside of Boulder, CO, according to Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold.
Boulder Police Believe She Avoided Being Found
A news briefing was held this evening in which Chief Herold said, “While investigators continue to believe that Chloe ran away, there is an ongoing investigation about where she was and what occurred while she was separated from her family.”
Chloe’s family has kept friends, family and the community updated about their daughter via a Google Doc titled, “Updates on the search for Chloe.”
At 6:44 p.m. MT, the Doc was updated to read, “CHLOE HAS BEEN FOUND. The family is still learning details and will continue to update FINDCTB.ORG as they become more available.”
An Amber Alert Was Never Issued During The 10 Days Chloe Was Missing
Interesting enough, an Amber Alert was not issued, which became a frequently asked question since Chloe went missing.
“The use of Amber Alerts is carefully regulated by the law. The tool is used in cases of abductions and limited to the most serious of situations to avoid public fatigue which could counteract the importance of these alerts,” Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said during the briefing. “Boulder police had no evidence to suggest that an abduction had occurred. Detectives consulted with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation agents who agreed the case did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert.”
Had Chloe not been found today, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation was going to put of a “Missing and Endangered Persons Alert.” This is different than an Amber Alert, but it alerts national media.
Chloe was released to her family and will be medically evaluated, police said.
“Due to the age of the involved child in this case and the fact the Boulder PD made contact with her, there are a lot of things the BPD needs to put together,” Redfearn said. They believe she was not held against her will.
“There are indications that considerable steps were being taken by Chloe to avoid contact from law enforcement and as well as her family,” the BPD added.
There were several indications throughout the week that Chloe was still alive.
The investigation is still ongoing, but Chloe’s family is very thankful for all the help they received while looking for their daughter.
“Chloe’s family has an impossible number of people to thank, but needs to especially express gratitude to the entire compassionate Boulder community, the Boulder Police Department, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the citizens who sent in countless tips and concern, and the media professionals who helped to amplify this story,” the Google Doc stated. “Thank you for all of your support and care. We are deeply, deeply relieved and thankful for all support and coordination through this excruciatingly difficult time.”
