This is Rae-Leigh Bradbury, holding the dress she is wearing to her high school prom to celebrate her senior year in high school. After she graduates this month, she'll head to college this fall. But it could have been much different for her.
Rae-Leigh was kidnapped by her babysitter when she was just 12 weeks old. She is also the first child to ever be saved by an AMBER Alert. AMBER officially stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, but was named after Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas, in 1996. Just 2 years later, Rae-Leigh was abducted and missing for 2 days before her AMBER Alert was issued. 90 minutes later, thanks to a random witness, police found her and returned Rae-Leigh to her family.
Now 18, she grew up with her family thanks to an AMBER Alert, something to remember the next time you feel annoyed when those tones go off on Y1025, or a TV station or your smart device.