12-Year-Old Kayleah Wilson Missing: Disappeared on Way to Birthday Party

By: Kealan Oliver
Topics: Missing

Kayleah Wilson (Personal Photo)

GREELEY, Colo. (CBS/AP) Police are searching for 12-year-old Kayleah Wilson, who went missing while on her way to a friend's birthday party.

Wilson, from Greeley, Colo., has been missing since Sunday. She was on her way to meet a friend in an area across a busy highway from her home.

Over 20 police officers and FBI agents were searching for her Wednesday in Greeley, located about 60 miles north of Denver. Police used dogs to comb the medians, ditches and bushes along the highway for signs of the girl.

Police and FBI agents have not found any evidence that Wilson ran away or that she is a victim of foul play.

An Amber Alert has not yet been issued for Kayleah, as police say that the criteria for an Amber Alert are very specific and at this point all they know is that the 12-year-old has disappeared.

Carrie Booker, a neighbor of Wilson, told CBS affiliate KCNC-TV that Kayleah's mother "hasn't eaten for, like, two days because she's so worried." As of Wednesday night the girl's mother was still being interviewed. Police said they are taking a much closer look at this case.

The Brentwood Middle School student is 5 foot 1 inches tall, weighs 145 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a white and pink shirt, jeans and white and red shoes.

Anyone with information about this girl's whereabouts is asked to please call the Greeley Police Department at (970) 350-9600.

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by jackroll22 April 3, 2010 3:38 AM EDT

I am in shock we have this many sick people in this country. Too many years have gone by with politicians allowing pedophiles get away with murder. There needs to be a death penalty for anyone hurting a child. Hurting a child means molesting, raping and murdering. This should be death penalty. No ifs, ands and buts.

On the other hand why is this girl walking past a busy freeway. Why is there 133 registered sex offenders in the area? Why aren't the sex offenders in jail? Why did the mom wait six hours to call authorities? Why wasn't Amber alerted?

Hope they find her safe.

Reply to this comment


by pak31 April 9, 2010 10:04 AM EDT: I agree with you but at this point we don't know that she was taken by anyone. Also, 133 registered sex offenders in the area, why would you allow your 12 yr old to walk alone? Why not get her a cell phone? Why not have her call you when she gets to the party so that you have that peace of mind that she made it there safely? Why didn't the girl who she was supposed to meet and pick up wonder why she didn't come? Why didn't anyone at the party call the mom to see where she was? Amber alerts have certain criteria and she doesn't meet that criteria, that is why Amber Alerts have not been issued.


by midwestmom22 April 1, 2010 7:14 PM EDT: I hope she returns safely to her family. I wish they would post other photos of her, maybe a current one not a school type photo.
I read that she had a 17 year old boyfriend her mother did not approve of in the past who was a friend of her brother. The report said he was cooperating with police.
The mother in an article said she did not have a car and was at home when the daughter left for a party.
The step father said he thinks she may have gone to see her dad in california, but the step father had not seen her in a few years.
so many articles are written but not all facts are listed in each one.
Please pray for this young girl to come home safe. Her mother must be worried sick.; Reply to this comment

by twzzlrgirl April 1, 2010 4:55 PM EDT

This is ridiculous....what is the "specific criterion" for an Amber Alert? The child was walking to a party and never showed up and never came home. What more do they need?

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by midwestmom22 April 1, 2010 7:09 PM EDT: I just want to start with I hope they find this girl safe or she comes home safely. I am not attacking your post, I just wanted to let you know why they did not do the amber alert. Amber alert is a well know "trademark" and we all think of it in a situation like this but if there was one for ever missing child that was not seen abducted or in immediate danger, would they have the same power? There are missing children alerts that can be posted. (see this link http://www.beyondmissing.com/search/search.shtml) I checked and there is not an alert for this young lady. I did email the lady who made a facebook page for her and ask if she was aware of the website. I hope every little bit helps bring her home. Amber Alerts are not for missing children they are for abducted or in immediate harm. I know it seems like tomato tomaato and if my child were in the situation I would be frustrated but here is the criteria for an Amber Alert:
Introduction

The Amber Alert System is a critical missing child response program that utilizes the resources of law enforcement and media to notify the public when children are kidnapped by predators.
Amber Alert Criteria

Although the scope of the Amber Alert varies, the criteria for activation are fairly consistent.

Whether it is a local, regional or statewide program, law enforcement activates an Amber Alert by notifying broadcast media with relevant identifying and case information when circumstances meets the following criteria:

* The missing child is of a pre-determined age.
* The law enforcement agency believes the child has been kidnapped.
* The agency believes the missing child is under threat of serious bodily harm or death.

Once they receive the Amber Alert radio and television stations interrupt regularly scheduled programming to notify the public that a child has been kidnapped. Because 95% of all people driving in their cars listen to the radio, this is an extremely effective way of providing descriptions of the child, the kidnapper, vehicles or accomplices.
Amber Alert System Benefits

Besides turning the public into instant investigators when children are kidnapped, benefits of the Amber Alert include:

* It is free.
* It encourages participation between natural adversaries, law enforcement and media by drawing on their inherent strengths.
* It promotes accountability by creating the foundation of a comprehensive missing child protocol.
* It is an effective time critical response to kidnappers who can disappear with children at the rate of a mile per minute.
* It sends a powerful message to would-be kidnappers that this is a community that cares about and protects children.
* It saves lives.

Amber Alert History
Amber Hagerman
Amber Hagerman

Initially prompted by citizen concerns following the tragic 1996 kidnapping and murder of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman in Arlington, Texas, the concept has been embraced by all segments of society.

A sampling of the pro-active, diversified citizens inspired to implement variations on the Amber Alert include:

* Mrs. Robin Trumbull, a young mother with a strong social conscience created the statewide Michigan Amber Alert after hearing about it at a KlaasKids Foundation sponsored town hall meeting.
* To give meaning to the death of their kidnapped daughter Traci, Chris and Terry Conrad initiated the localized Corcoran, California TRACI Alert.
* To create a legacy in the name of her kidnapped daughter, Colleen Nick inspired the Arkansas' statewide Morgan Nick Alert.
* A sense of duty drove Officer John Goad of the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons to begin the regional NC CAN Alert System.

Because progress in the effort to recover kidnapped children is glacial, great ideas like the Amber Alert should be enthusiastically embraced, supported and promoted whenever possible. Had the Amber Alert existed when Polly Klaas was kidnapped in 1993, she might very well be alive today. Although law enforcement had her killer in their custody within sixty minutes of the crime, they helped him pull his car out of a ditch instead of arresting him because they were unaware that a child had been kidnapped.

Our goal is to protect every child with one of the most brilliant ideas yet devised in the battle to recover kidnapped children.

So, in order to remain current we encourage law enforcement agencies, broadcast media and the public to provide updated information that we may include in our comparative analysis of the Amber Alert.
Amber Alert Links


by pak31 April 9, 2010 10:12 AM EDT: ?Law enforcement must confirm that an abduction has taken place
?The child is at risk of serious injury or death
?There is sufficient descriptive information of child, captor, or captor's vehicle to issue an alert
?The child must be 17 years old or younger

******The Amber Alert system is not a missing child notification system, therefore it is for specific types of missing children. This is why she doesn't have one, she doesn't fit the criteria. The authorities set these guidelines because if they overload the announcements for every missing child too much then people tend to not take it seriously after time. That is what I read.


by twzzlrgirl April 1, 2010 4:54 PM EDT: This is ridiculous....what is the "specific criterion" for an Amber Alert? The child was walking to a party and never showed up and never came home. What more do they need?; Reply to this comment

by Wildwood1966 April 1, 2010 4:25 PM EDT

went to meet a friend "across a busy highway" a 12 year old? going to a birthday party alone with no one to take her or pick her up "across a busy highway" I don't get it

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by pak31 April 9, 2010 10:17 AM EDT: Me neither. It's different if she was walking a few blocks in a subdivision but a 12 year old without a cell phone walking near a mall and a highway, it's not smart. I don't know, I am maybe too much of a worrier but you have to protect your children. Get in your car and see to it that they make it safely to a destination. I could never send my 12 year old out to walk 2 miles to a party and then just assume she got there. How can you do that?