While the system is widely used across the U.S., a Nevada-based academic told Newsweek that AMBER Alerts are not very effective.

An Amber Alert has been issued for a 7-year-old missing from Jefferson County in northeastern Ohio. Oaklynn Alexander was last seen around 3 p.m. Monday on Midway Street in the city of Empire wearing a gray hoodie, black pants and white shoes. Authorities said she is 4 feet tall and weighs 55 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes.

Why do some missing persons cases receive a statewide AMBER alert while others don’t? Ohio has seen six AMBER alerts in the first four months of 2024. This is compared to nine in all of 2023, and six in 2022.