MADISON — Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul announced on Aug. 15 the new Missing Child Alert that broadens options for alerting the public to missing children.  2023 Wisconsin Act 272, authored by state Senator LaTonya Johnson, state Senator Jesse James, Assemblywoman Shelia Stubbs and Assemblyman John Spiros, expands Wisconsin’s alerts to include the new Missing Child Alert. “The Missing Child Alert will provide an additional way to help locate missing children and get them home safely,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “Thank you to everyone who worked to launch this new alert.”

“This is an issue that touches everyone in Wisconsin: every income bracket, every zip code. Whether you are rural, urban, or suburban, at some point in time your community will come face to face with the case of a missing child,” said Assemblywoman Shelia Stubbs. “May this be our call to action, so that we as lawmakers continue to create legislation that protects the interests of missing children, their families, and their communities.”

The Missing Child Alert was created when Governor Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 272 on April 10, 2024. Act 272, the Prince Act, named after 5-year-old Prince McCree who went missing in Milwaukee and 10-year-old Lily Peters who went missing in Chippewa Falls. The new alert expands the criteria for issuing alerts for missing persons. The legislation revised § 175.51 and expanded the definition of a “person at risk” to include children.

The Missing Child Alert will be disseminated through the Wisconsin Crime Alert Network and a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) will be sent to mobile devices up to a 5 miles radius from the last know location, between the hours of 8am-9pm. The alert will also be disseminated on Wisconsin Lottery terminals