LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Police in Indianapolis are still searching for missing 8-month-old Amiah Robertson, who was last seen more than two weeks ago with her mother's boyfriend.
"She claims he's the one that took the baby, but she says she doesn't know what he done with her," said Chuck Robertson, Amiah's grandfather.
The baby wasn't reported missing for a week, and Amiah's family told police they didn't believe she was in danger. But investigators thought something was suspicious, so they issued a Silver Alert, saying the baby was believed to be in "extreme danger."
Many wondered why a Silver Alert was issued instead of an Amber Alert. Police in Indianapolis said the baby's disappearance did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert.
"The difference between Silver and Amber Alerts can be super confusing," explained ISP Sgt. Robert Lambert.
For an Amber Alert to be issued in Indiana, ISP said a child must be under 18, believed to have been abducted and be in danger of serious bodily harm or death. It requires certain information for police to release to help people track down the child, like suspect information and a description of a vehicle, license plate or direction where the suspect is headed.
"It's really just a threshold of information that law enforcement has," Lambert said. "In order to get an Amber Alert out, you really need a lot of information."
Silver Alerts come with a broader scope. They can be issued for any missing person, adult or child, or someone with a mental impairment. They don't require detailed suspect information.
For both alerts, a request must be recommended by the law enforcement agency of jurisdiction, said Lambert.
While the two alerts are different, troopers say they both depend on the public to be attentive.
"We really want people, when we send these alerts out, to take the time to read and understand the message, just as you would hope someone would do for you," Lambert said.
Kentucky uses Golden Alerts instead of Silver Alerts, but the two systems follow similar criteria.
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