CONWAY, AR – A missing 5-year-old girl is reunited with her parents within an hour of being reported missing, all because of the CodeRED Alert System.
Ava Osborne rides the bus to and from Ellen Smith Elementary School, but Wednesday she took a van to the Boys & Girls Club instead. When she didn’t get off the bus at home, her parents worried.
“You kind of prepare yourself for the worst,” says Brad Osborne, Ava’s dad.
After contacting the school and searching there, Conway Police got involved and sent out a CodeRED alert. CodeRED is an alert system that allows emergency personnel to notify the community about emergencies via phone calls or text messages.
“The whole entire time, all I kept doing is watching the sun. The closer it got to dark, that’s when you’re really going to worry,” says Brad.
The director at the Boys & Girls Club got the CodeRED alert message on her phone and realized she had 5-year-old Ava Osborne. Police say the alert worked exactly the way it is supposed to.
“We’re very happy it worked out the way it did. The information got out as soon as we had it and then thankfully someone at the Boys & Girls Club was observing and put 2 and 2 together,” said Officer Sean Canady, with the Conway Police Department.
Ava was reunited with her parent within an hour of disappearing.
“She has no idea, even now she doesn’t really understand,” says Brad. “She got a sticker from the police, she had a fun ride. As far as she was concerned, she was having a blast. Her first question was ‘Why is everyone crying?’”
Anyone can register for CodeRed for free to receive emergency notifications, weather warnings, and other important information when alerts are issued.
It is free online to register.
