Yet, the memory of the vibrant Missouri fourth-grader, whose life was cut short in a senseless act of violence, inspired profound changes to the AMBER Alert system which saved an abducted California boy last week.
4-year-old Justin Chan was found safe Tuesday night by two citizens using US.Watch, a web-based search and rescue platform developed by Missouri law enforcement officers in the aftermath of Hailey’s death to coordinate the public search for abducted children during AMBER Alerts.
“I clicked the link on my AMBER Alert and we drove to my assigned watch zone before spotting the vehicle,” said Raegan Dunn, a 20-year-old Los Angeles resident who found Justin using the US.Watch platform.
“It was just the right thing to do.”
4-year-old Justin Chan was found safe Tuesday night by two citizens using US.Watch, a web-based search and rescue platform developed by Missouri law enforcement officers in the aftermath of Hailey’s death to coordinate the public search for abducted children during AMBER Alerts.
“I clicked the link on my AMBER Alert and we drove to my assigned watch zone before spotting the vehicle,” said Raegan Dunn, a 20-year-old Los Angeles resident who found Justin using the US.Watch platform.
“It was just the right thing to do.”
Raegan Dunn and her friend Yenny Lu pose for a photo after helping reunite Justin with his family (Courtesy of Michael Lozano of the Long Beach Post)
Members of US.Watch receive enhanced local AMBER Alerts that include a video brief, an individually-assigned watch zone, and a link to join the search on the US.Watch platform.
From there, users can navigate to their designated areas, connect with law enforcement, collaborate with other citizen searchers, and even win rewards for helping—all while tuning in to a live broadcast to stay up to date with the latest alert information, including search instructions, the current top searchers, and the most interesting user messages from the group chat.
Zach Sanders, a spokesman for US.Watch, said the record-breaking number of citizen searchers were only able to help find Justin thanks to California’s cutting-edge AMBER Alert system, which seamlessly provides citizens with real-time updates on multiple platforms.
“Within 10 minutes, approximately 140,000 Californians viewed the video brief for Justin’s AMBER Alert, and more than 4,600 joined the search,” said Sanders.
We need more volunteers to join the search for Justin at https://t.co/KLBfr14eIO pic.twitter.com/EOlkkAKRm3
— Deputy Skaggs (@DeputySkaggs) February 14, 2024
The platform’s smart zone assignment algorithm leverages nearly two decades of AMBER Alert data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to target citizen search efforts to locations where abducted children are most likely to be found.
Users who navigate to their assigned watch zones can win rewards, such as a $100 Walmart gift card.
"When I saw the car, I called the police,” said Dunn.
As officers swarmed in on the vehicle, the young boy was safely removed from the car and checked for injuries.
He was reunited with his father at the scene.
Dunn said the boy’s mother told them she was very thankful for their quick actions to report the vehicle.
Moments before finding Justin, Raegan Dunn snapped a photo while her friend Yenny Lu drove to the watch zone assigned to her on US.Watch, which boasts a hands-free interface and a smart zone-assignment algorithm that empowers the public to find abducted kids in a safe and effective manner.
A national coalition of community watch leaders praised California Highway Patrol Captain Andrew Gregg for his exceptional leadership during the alert.
"As the commanding officer of the Los Angeles Communications Center, Captain Gregg was instrumental in uniting citizens with law enforcement to help bring Justin home safely," said Jordan Puhala, a leader of California Watch.
Captain Gregg's extensive law enforcement experience, coupled with his visionary leadership, has been instrumental in the development and implementation of innovative strategies to enhance public safety and protect vulnerable populations.
"I'm incredibly proud of the swift and coordinated response from Californians across the Greater Los Angeles Area," said Captain Gregg, who assumed command of the Los Angeles Communications Center (LACC) in July 2022.
"The success of last night's search demonstrates the power of community collaboration and underscores the importance of proactive measures in ensuring the safety of our children."
Captain Gregg has over 19 years of law enforcement experience. He began his law enforcement career with the California Highway Patrol in 2002 when he was assigned to the San Francisco Area office.
LACC dispatchers answer more than 1.3 million 9-1-1 calls per year and over 2.7 million calls in total, including Dunn's call last week.
“The AMBER Alert system continues to bring communities together to locate missing and abducted children,” said Janell Rasmussen, Administrator of the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program of the National Criminal Justice Training Center.
“We are grateful to all of our partners who do this work to protect children. When a child goes missing-time is of the essence and we must all work together to bring them home.”
US.Watch was coded to honor the memory of Hailey Owens, whose life could have been saved by a more timely and effective AMBER alert system in 2014.
After her death, Hailey's friends, family, and law enforcement officials advocated for the passage of HAILEY'S Law, which was signed by Missouri Governor Mike Parson in 2019.
The law streamlines the process for issuing AMBER Alerts and empowers law enforcement officers to include a link to resources like US.Watch with each alert.