Tot’s death spurs bid to alter Amber Alert regarding abduction notification

In the wake of nearly 2-year-old Nalani Johnson’s kidnapping and death last August, the victim’s Penn Hills family and Democratic state Rep. Anthony DeLuca are calling for legislative change.

Referred to as the “Nalani Johnson Rule,” the bill calls for changes in Pennsylvania’s Amber Alert law by requiring the Missing Endangered Person Advisory System to be activated immediately when a parent or family member reports an abduction — speeding up the process for police to send out the alerts.

“Every second, every minute is important in a situation like this,” Mr. DeLuca, D-Penn Hills, said. “I believe that if this bill had been in place — I’m not saying it would have — but it could have saved this [child’s] life.”

According to Mr. DeLuca, the girl’s father, Paul D. Johnson, reported the abduction in Penn Hills to local law enforcement immediately with information of the kidnapper’s name, the abductor’s vehicle and the direction they were traveling.

The alert, however, was not sent out to the public until hours after her father reported her missing. Mr. DeLuca said the delay was due to “strict criteria” that had to be met before the alert was sent out.

The child’s body was found about 40 miles away in an Indiana County park three days after her father reported the kidnapping to police.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, certain criteria must be met in order for police to send out an alert. The abducted child must be under 18 years of age, believed to be in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury, and other factors that include availability of descriptive information that could assist in recovering the child, reliability of the witnesses, and time elapsed since the child was last seen.

“It was not until after the kidnapper was taken into custody that the Amber Alert was [broadcast] to the public,” Mr. DeLuca wrote in the bill’s memorandum.

Within the first day of presenting the bill to the House, over 20 co-sponsors came forward in support.

“This is bipartisan. This is an issue that affects everybody,” Mr. DeLuca, said. “We all have kids, we all have grandkids, and in today’s society you never know what’s going to happen.”

He was inspired to create the bill after Nalani Johnson’s family came to his office to speak with him about her life and impact.

“It was heartbreaking, hearing them talk,” Mr. DeLuca said.

Sharena Nancy, 25, of Penn Hills, was charged with the kidnapping and death of Nalani Johnson in January. Ms. Nancy’s formal arraignment is scheduled for March 3.