On December 31, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Ashanti Alert Act of 2018 (Pub L. 115-401). The Ashanti Alert Act, is named in honor of Ashanti Billie. Eric Brian Brown, 45, abducted 19 year old Ashanti Billie as she arrived for work at a restaurant on the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Norfolk VA. Her car was found in Norfolk on September 23, 2017 and investigators recovered clothing from the vehicle. Her body was found 11 days later on September 29, 2017 in Charlotte, about 300 yards from Brown’s childhood home.

The Ashanti Alert establishes a voluntary nationwide communication network to aid in the search and recovery of missing persons between the ages of 18 and 64. The Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance has established the National Ashanti Alert Network to encourage, enhance, and integrate Ashanti Alert plans throughout the United States.

The following criteria must be met before the N.C. Center for Missing Persons will activate an Ashanti Alert:

Ashanti Alert will provide a statewide system for the rapid dissemination of information regarding a missing person between ages 18 and 64. This evidence based alert is for a person missing under circumstances that indicate physical safety maybe endangered or the disappearance may not be voluntary, including an evidence based abduction or kidnapping. Due to the severity of the criteria, an Ashanti Alert must be requested within six hours (reasonable time) of the report. There must be evidence to meet the criteria.

Criteria:

• When an adult between the ages of 18 and 64 has been identified as a missing individual; and,

• Missing under circumstances that indicate that the physical safety of the missing adult may be endangered; or

• That the disappearance of the missing adult may not have been voluntary, including an abduction or kidnapping.

The North Carolina Center for Missing Persons (NCCMP) is the only agency that can authorize the activation of an Ashanti Alert and will do so ONLY at the request of an investigating law enforcement agency. It is then the responsibility of the center to determine whether there is sufficient identifying data to justify an Ashanti Alert activation. It is highly recommended that law enforcement discuss their situation with NCCMP staff before completing the Ashanti request at (https://nccmp.ncdps.gov).

Step 1

When a family member, caregiver or witness calls local law enforcement to report someone missing, the law enforcement agency must first investigate the case and determine if the request warrant’s an Ashanti Alert. According to North Carolina law, an Ashanti Alert can only be issued if all of the criteria are met.

Step 2 - Local Law Enforcement

• Enter the missing person (if possible) into the National Criminal Information Center system

• Initiate a statewide "be on the lookout" bulletin to all appropriate law enforcement agencies

• Provide a 24-hour phone number to receive calls during the investigation

• After completing the investigation and determining the case meets the qualifying criteria, law enforcement will go to the NC Center for Missing Persons (NCCMP) website (https://nccmp.ncdps.gov ) and complete the request for Ashanti Alert.

• Once the missing person has been located, the requesting law enforcement agency will complete the cancelation in the NCCMP website.

NC Center for Missing Persons Responsibilities

• Once the Ashanti Alert request is received via email from the NCCMP website the alert will be denied or approved.

• A copy of the email will be sent to the requesting agency email provided.

• All updates and changes will be done through the NCCMP website by the requesting agency.

• All notifications, updates and changes will be received via the requesting agency email provided.

If a loved one is missing, family and friends should immediately notify local law enforcement. When a person is abducted, time is valuable.

• File a police or sheriff's report. Include information on where the missing person was last known to be, as well as names of the individual's family and friends. Provide officers with a recent photo as soon as possible.
• Request that law enforcement put out a Be On the Look Out (BOLO) Bulletin.
• Ask for an organized search with the use of tracking dogs if possible.
• If the missing person has alzheimer's or some other cognitive impairement, ask local law enforcement to have a Ashanti Alert issued.
• Limit access to your home until law enforcement investigators arrive and have collected evidence.
• Give investigator all facts and circumstances related to disappearance including what efforts have already been made.
• Write a detailed description of clothing and any personal belongings the person may have. Note any birthmarks, scars, tattoos, or mannerisms, and supply any photo that may show the marks. Give this information to the investigator.
• Designate one person to answer your telephone. Keep a pad of paper by the phone to jot down names, telephone numbers, date and time of calls and the purpose of the call. You may want to get law enforcement to put a tracer on your phone and get an answering machine that will tape calls. You may also want to add caller ID. If you do not have a cell phone, you may want to get one so that you can be reached at any time.

For cases that are older than 30 days, help officers locate dental and medical records.

N.C. Center for Missing Persons: 1-800-522-5437