WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Editor's note: Attached video explains Amber Alert criteria
An Amber Alert issued for a missing 13-year-old girl in Winston-Salem has been canceled.
Winston-Salem police said Laela Kamoria Jones returned home on her own and was in good health after 10 p.m. Friday.
PREVIOUS STORY: Police said they are actively searching for Laela Kamoria Jones who is five feet tall and weighs 117 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.
Police said Laela was last seen on Tuesday, Nov. 30 in the 3000 block of North Patterson Avenue. She was wearing a yellow hoodie sweatshirt, dark blue jeans, and either black Nike slides or tie-dyed Crocs.
Police said Laela was reported missing on Thursday morning around 10 a.m. The Amber Alert went out for her on Friday afternoon.
If you have any information regarding this abduction, call the Winston-Salem Police Department immediately at (336) 773-7700, or call 911 or *HP.
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety lists certain guidelines that must be met before an AMBER Alert is issued:
- 17 years old or younger
- Believed to have been abducted
- Not taken by a parent (unless the child is in danger or not allowed to be with the child)
- Not believed to be a runaway or voluntarily missing
- Abduction has been reported to and investigated by a law enforcement agency
The U.S. Department of Justice reports the following guidelines must be met to issue an Amber Alert.
- There is reasonable belief by law enforcement an abduction has occurred.
- The abduction is of a child age 17 or younger.
- The law enforcement agency believes the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
- There is enough descriptive information about the victim and abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child.
- The child’s name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.
