VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Activation complications caused problems and delays when Virginia State Police were trying to issue an AMBER Alert Thursday after three children were abducted in Virginia Beach.
Dana Plummer, 36, is accused of stabbing his stepdaughter and his ex-wife in her Virginia Beach home and taking their three children Wednesday night.
Authorities say he ultimately crashed his SUV in Maryland on Thursday. Unfortunately, authorities say one of the three kids, a 1-year-old baby, died as a result of the crash. The other two children were taken to the hospital with injuries from the crash, authorities added.
Watch: Timeline of abduction that led to fatal crash
After learning of the abduction, state police were trying to activate the AMBER Alert for the children on Thursday at 2 a.m. Some people got sent a partial message, while others say they didn’t receive an AMBER Alert.
State police said the problem stems from technical issues with the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System that runs through FEMA. They said they have no control over this system, and there's an internal review on the matter.
State police issued the following statement:
"Per Virginia Code, the Virginia State Police is the issuing agency of missing person alerts within the Commonwealth.
Late Wednesday night (Aug. 14, 2024), investigators with the Virginia Beach Police Department contacted State Police to request an AMBER Alert be issued for the abduction of three young children by Dana D. Plummer. As is standard procedure, as soon as a request is received, State Police immediately begin working with the requesting agency to assess and fulfill the required criteria. This includes verifying all biographical information, vehicle information, and obtaining the necessary photographs from the requesting agency. Once this is completed, the AMBER Alert is issued, which triggers a series of activations and alerts (https://vsp.virginia.gov/active-alerts/amber-alert/ [vsp.virginia.gov]).
The Virginia State Police understands that immediacy is imperative when receiving a request to issue and activate an AMBER Alert. Activation complications were encountered with the Everbridge software and the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) platform. However, the AMBER Alert was successfully activated, which resulted in the State Police recovery of the children and apprehension of the suspect.
State Police has been in contact with FEMA, who operates and controls IPAWS, regarding some of the incomplete messaging, and we anticipate a quick and thorough resolution."
Watch: Aerial footage shows scene following crash in Prince George's County
Virginia Beach police say a call came in about the stabbing incident around 8:48 p.m. We asked Virginia Beach police why it took a few hours for the AMBER Alert to go out around 2 a.m.
They issued the following statement:
"Our detectives requested the Amber Alert as soon as all required criteria were satisfied. The process is thorough, ensuring that the alert is both accurate and effective. For additional details on the timing and issuance process, I recommend reaching out to the Virginia State Police, as they oversee the final steps in issuing the alert."
