Would Amber Alert Wording Change Made Difference in Evansdale Cousins, Johnny Gosch Kidnappings?

Nonetheless, changes announced Wednesday that broaden the language in the criteria to issue an alert are welcome, said people close to both cases.

The change is a minor one - the criteria previously read, "There is enough descriptive information about the child, abductor, and/or suspect's vehicle to believe an immediate broadcast alert will help."

The change removed the word "and." Additionally, the review suggested law enforcement officials interpret the criteria more broadly.

Almost 31 years ago, when then 12-year-old Johnny Gosch disappeared, his mother, Noreen Gosch, pushed for the legislation that became the Amber Alert system. She said the new language should have been in place from the start.

"When the Amber Alert law was being drawn up and written, I was asked my opinion, and at that time I stated, 'The bill the way it is written will allow children to fall through the cracks," she said in an email. "I am happy to see that attention has been given to the obvious flaw in this legislation."

"Anything that makes it easier to get the word out to the public when a child is missing and may be at risk is a benefit to everyone involved," Evansdale Police Chief Kent Smock told Patch via email. "I would support any change that helps protect our children."

With the search for Elizabeth and Lyric's killer still open, Smock said he can't comment on what might or might not have happened differently had an AMBER Alert been issued July 13, 2012, when the girls disappeared while riding their bikes near Meyers Lake.

In the Evansdale case, there is still no abductor or suspect vehicle information.

Local media and neighboring residents were still informed of the disappearance quickly; the difference between an AMBER Alert and a purely local alert is in its breadth. An AMBER Alert is issued across the state via television broadcasters, the National Weather Service, the Department of Transportation and the Iowa Lottery, through which the alert is quickly blasted via T.V., text messages and the Internet.

"Every situation has a different set of circumstances, and whether issuing an Amber Alert would or would not have helped in this case is speculation," Smock said. "Different people will draw different conclusions as to its possible effectiveness. However, in my opinion, if this change relaxes the requirements to use the Amber Alert tool when a child goes missing, then I'm fully in support of it, if circumstances warrant its usage."

Supporters of the Collins, Cook and Morrissey familieshad petitioned for a "Cousins Law," in response to the girls' disappearance, which would have made it easier to put out something like an Amber Alert.

Though the Cousins Law was never enacted, Elizabeth Collins' mother, Heather Collins, told the Des Moines Register that changes to Wednesday's criteria, which came on what would have been Elizabeth's 10th birthday, were welcome.

“We’re ecstatic that it went through,” she said. “It’s sad that it took something like this to happen for it to go through, but we’re happy that it did.”

Read more:

• 30 Years After Johnny Gosch Vanished, Iowa’s Innocence Abducted: Part 1 in a Series
• Innocence Abducted: Noreen Gosch Blinded by Ugly World of Child Sex Trade: Part 2 in a Series
• Johnny Gosch’s Mom a ‘Pioneer’ in Protecting Children: Part 3 in a Series
• Iowa AMBER Alert Criteria Broadened After String of Kidnappings
• 'Dancing Up with Our Savior': Iowa Mourns the Missing Cousins of Evansdale