There is finally a system in place for when adults who may be endangered go missing. As one of his last acts of 2018, President Donald Trump signed the Ashanti Alert Act into law, as a nationwide alert system geared towards missing adults between the ages of 18 and 64, WTOP reports.
The law is named after Ashanti Billie, a Maryland native who disappeared from the Hampton Roads, Virginia area back in September 2017. She was suspected to have been abducted but at 19 years old, Billie was too old for an Amber Alert notice, which notifies the nation of child abduction, and too young for a Silver Alert, which helps locate endangered seniors. There was nothing in place to expedite a search for her.
Two weeks after she was reported missing, Billie’s body was discovered in North Carolina.
The Ashanti Alert Act is meant to fill the gap through which Billie tragically fell.
“Despite the tragic loss of Ashanti Billie, with the love and support of Meltony and Brandy Billie (her parents), along with the Hampton Roads community, the Ashanti Alert Act is now law of the land,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) who sponsored the bill. “In this new year, it is my hope that this important law enforcement tool can help save countless lives.”