An Amber Alert has been issued for a missing 17-year-old Marion County boy who may have been shot and wounded, officials said.
He was last seen on the afternoon of Sept. 25, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
Here’s what to know.
What is the Florida Amber Alert from Marion County for?
Caden Speight
Sheriff’s officials said shortly before 4:15 p.m. on Sept. 25 deputies were called to the 12800 block of Southwest County Road 484 in Dunnellon about a shooting.
When they arrived, deputies found a pickup truck they said belongs to the teenager, who was not there and could not be located.
MCSO deputies said they believe the boy is wounded.
Who is the missing child in the Florida Amber Alert?
The Amber Alert identifies the boy as Caden Speight.
Speight is White, with brown hair and brown eyes. He stands 6 feet tall and weighs 150 pounds. He was wearing a T-shirt and blue jeans.
Deputies said the boy may be in the company of four unknown males, and could be in a light-colored van.
What should I do if I spot the missing child from a Florida Amber Alert?
Anyone with any information about the boy can call 911, the sheriff’s office at (352) 732-9111, or contact Crime Stoppers at 352-368-STOP or OcalaCrimeStoppers.com.
What is Florida’s Amber Alert?
An Amber Alert, or a child abduction emergency alert, is one of several alerts “issued through radio, television, highway Dynamic Message Signs, lottery machines, missingchildrenalert.com, and other resources.” Law enforcement agencies can request alerts to ask the public for help in much broader areas than just where the abduction may have occurred.
AMBER stands for “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response” and is used to help find abducted children. It’s named after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who had been abducted and killed in Arlington, Texas in 1996.
Amber alerts are only issued when the subject is under 18 and law enforcement has a well-founded belief, based on an active investigation, that a kidnapping has occurred and/or the child is in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury, and a detailed description of the child and the abductor/vehicle is available to broadcast.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Amber alert in Florida. Deputies searching for boy, 17, possibly shot
