Review of Amber Alert requested after child murder

A Louisiana lawmaker is calling for an audit of the state’s AMBER alert system following the kidnapping and murder of a child.

In a letter to Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and Louisiana Police Chief Colonel Robert Hodges, House Representative Dixon McMakin said the AMBER alert system was “not as efficient or effective as it should be” after it “took hours to be triggered” following the disappearance of sisters Erin and Jalie Brunett on June 13.

Four-year-old Erin Brunett was found dead hours later. A man and a woman were arrested and charged with the crime.

The context

An AMBER Alert has been issued for Erin and six-year-old Jalie after their mother, 35-year-old Callie Brunett, was found “brutally murdered” at home in Tangipahoa Parish, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Newsweek has contacted a representative for comment via the TPSO website.

On Thursday, June 20, a Tangipahoa Parish grand jury indicted 36-year-old Daniel Callihan and 32-year-old Victoria Cox.

According to WLBT, Calihan was charged with two counts of first-degree murder of Callie Brunett and Erin, one count of aggravated child abduction of Erin, and one count of second-degree kidnapping of Jalie.

Cox was charged with one count of first-degree murder of Erin Brunett, one count of aggravated child abduction of Erin Brunett, one count of second-degree child abduction of Jalie Brunett, and one count of accessory after the fact to the first-degree murder of Callie Brunett.

Under Louisiana law, premeditated murder can result in life imprisonment or the death penalty.

District Attorney Scott Perrilloux said his office has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.

In a telephone interview with Newsweek On June 16, TPSO Chief of Operations Jimmy Travis said Callihan, who reportedly had an on-off relationship with the mother, “confessed everything.”

Travis had arrived at the scene at the Brunetts’ Louisiana home. He told Newsweek that police knew by 9:30 a.m. that a brutal murder had taken place and two children were missing. He also explained that he knew “we need to start blowing up cell phones now,” referring to the process of issuing an AMBER alert.

What we know

In his letter, which McMakin posted on his official Facebook page, he called on the Louisiana State Police to work with lawmakers to simplify the process of issuing an AMBER alert.

“I know we are investigating what happened in this case, but we should improve our state’s AMBER Alert process. This is due to the investigation of these AMBER Alerts in the past. We inherited a long-winded system and must work to correct its deficiencies,” he wrote.

Newsweek McMakin has asked for comment through his press secretary.

Louisiana State Police records showed it took three hours for the AMBER alert to be issued after Erin and Jalie Brunett were reported missing. The AMBER alert had been requested by Sheriff Daniel Edwards, according to a report by WDSU News.

Travis said previously Newsweek “Given the nature of what happened and what we know, it is unacceptable to wait for hours.”

Newsweek has emailed a representative of the Louisiana State Police for comment.

What is an AMBER alert?

An AMBER Alert is an emergency response system. The system works by sharing information about a child abduction to mobilize the public to find the child.

The AMBER Alert is named after Amber Hagerman, a child who was kidnapped and murdered in Texas in 1996.

The system uses communication channels, highway signs and media broadcasts to exchange descriptions of the child in question, as well as the suspect and any vehicles involved.

In 2023, 1,200 children were located via the AMBER alert system.

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