KSHB 41 News reporter Braden Bates covers parts of Jackson County, Missouri, including Lee's Summit. Send Braden a story idea by e-mail.
A new bill in the Missouri Legislature could create a specialized alert system to help find missing children and adults with developmental disabilities faster.
The hope is that the bill's passage could potentially help save lives in critical situations where every second counts.
The proposed Purple Alert system would function like Amber Alerts, but would be specifically designed for cases involving people with developmental disabilities who go missing.
The alerts would provide the public and first responders with crucial context about the missing person's condition with the hope it speeds up search efforts.
"It will alert everybody immediately of an elopement or runaway case," said Danielle Rocha, the parent who first proposed the bill. "It's a matter of seconds."
Rocha launched this push because of personal experience with her eight-year-old, autistic, nonverbal twins and hearing of stories of similar children reported missing.
"They don't understand that they are in a dangerous situation," Rocha said. "I can't breathe when I thought I lost Kodi."
Luckily, he was found in their shoe closet, but the fear remained the same.
The urgency behind this legislation stems from recent tragic losses in the Kansas City area.
In the past year, two local families lost loved ones with developmental disabilities. One was hit by a car and another drowned.
"Drowning is the number one. It accounts for 91% of wandering deaths in intellectual disability cases," Rocha said.
Capt. Anthony Jackson with the Kansas City Fire Department supports the Purple Alert system both professionally and personally.
He is the grandparent of two children with autism and has a sister with Down syndrome.
"Time is of the essence," Jackson said. "It keeps it from becoming a recovery instead of just a search."
Jackson explained that people with developmental disabilities face unique risks when they go missing because they may not recognize danger the same way others do.
"Because they're prone to just flight," Jackson said. "They're prone to just run and they don't sense danger like we do."
The bill also recommends enhanced training for first responders conducting these specialized searches.
This is because there are changes on how to approach and handle someone with developmental disabilities when they may not be in a familiar space.
Jackson emphasized the importance of a rapid, informed response.
"We're going to be there" Jackson said. "If your kid's missing, or loved one's missing, and they're on that autism spectrum, I don't want to come back and have to tell them we found them too late or we found them in a body of water."
The Purple Alert system would give first responders and the community the specific information needed to conduct more effective searches for vulnerable individuals who may not respond to their names or understand instructions from strangers.
For families like Rocha's, the Purple Alert represents hope that technology and community awareness can help prevent tragedies and bring their loved ones home safely.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
