Medford, Ore. — Police in Tillamook County arrested a woman accused of abducting her 3-year-old daughter, who was no longer in her custody. Kaitlyne Wirth was arrested Friday morning.
She’s accused of taking the child from a home in North Bend.
An Amber Alert was issued on Thursday evening and was soon canceled after the child was found alone in a car along Oregon 99 near Cottage Grove.
Oregon State Police said a citizen who heard about the Amber Alert over the radio recognized Wirth’s car and called 911.
Wirth is now in the Tillamook County Jail.
When the Amber Alert was issued around seven o’clock Thursday night, many people living in Southern Oregon received an unmistakable message on their phones. It’s a technology that’s keeping people in the know so they can help.
Derek Noble, who works at U.S. Cellular said it was loud when everyone in the store who had a smartphone, received the notification.
“It actually comes pre-loaded on all the cell phonesand for law enforcement, the technology is a life saver,” said Medford Police Lt. Mike Budreau.
“It’s extremely helpful to have that ability to reach out and hit thousands of people immediately,” said Budreau.
For some Southern Oregon residents, it was the first time they ever received a notification.
Budreau said that’s because Amber Alerts are rare.
“It’s for children that are missing and in danger,” he explained.
That’s why when it does happen, time is of the essence.
“The more time that goes by, the more chance of something bad happening to the child,” said Budreau.
However, with advanced cell phone technology and more people getting a heads up, missing and endangered kids are more likely to be found.
In 2013 smartphones began acquiring the ability to have automatic alerts sent to the phone through the Amber Alert system.
If smartphone owners don’t have to sign up, they will still receive notification since it’s free and comes already installed on newer smartphones.
Noble said back in 2005, U.S. Cellular was the first cell phone carrier to partner with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to alert people who opted in to receiving information on Amber Alerts in their area.
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