Could Missing Texas Teen Kaytlynn Cargill Have Been Saved If An Amber Alert Was Issued?

Three days after going missing from her house, 14-year-old Kaytlynn Cargill's body was found in a garbage landfill in Texas on Thursday, and police believe she was murdered. Cargill's parents reported her missing soon after she disappeared, reports said.

At the time however, the police did not issue an Amber Alert for Cargill as they believed she was in no danger and there was no reason to suspect foul play in her disappearance. Police said they made that decision based on interviews with Cargill's friends.

Many however still asked why an alert was not issued for the girl following her disappearance.

"That was my first thought, 'Why haven't they issued an Amber Alert? Why hasn't my phone gone off?'" said Summer Weaver, a Bedford mother of four children. Weaver argued if her kids went missing, she would want every resource available. "Every parent of a missing child and every missing child deserves that kind of exposure," Weaver added.

Read: Indiana Teen, Chastinea Reeves, Focus Of Amber Alert, Charged In Mother's Stabbing Death

Although Bedford Police Chief Jeff Gibson defended the department's decision of not issuing an Amber Alert for Cargill by saying her case did not meet the requirements for an Amber Alert, social media users are expressing their dissatisfaction over the decision of authorities.

Even on the Facebook post of the Bedford Police Department where its press release confirmed the murder of Cargill, people commented asking the department why it did not issue an Amber Alert for the missing teen.

There have been multiple instances in the U.S. where a child went missing but law enforcement officials did not issue an Amber Alert due to the case not meeting the requirements. There were also others in which an alert was issued, but not instantly, reports said.

In January, a six-year-old boy went missing, after having walked away from his home in south Aurora, Colorado. However, an Amber Alert was not issued over the next 48 hours as there was no evidence he was abducted. After a few days, the boy's body was found under the ice of an Aurora pond.

According to the Department of Justice's website, the Amber Alert "is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry, to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases."

The alert's objective is to instantly inform the whole community about the case of a missing child so everyone could assist officials in the search and the safe recovery of the child.

Read: Suspect Stole White Honda Accord, With Two Hispanic Toddlers in Cathedral City

In Texas, national guidelines for Amber Alerts are followed. According to the Texas Department of Public Strategy, the alerts are restricted to a narrow purpose. The prerequisites for an Amber Alert case are age and evidence of an abduction. A child must be 17 years or younger and law enforcement should believe his/her abduction poses immediate danger to the child, according to WFAA.com, an ABC-affiliate.

Law enforcement agencies are asked to rule out other possible explanations for a child's disappearance before an Amber Alert is issued, and they also need to be able to provide the public with sufficient information to help, like a suspect description or vehicle information.