Rochester-area leaders call for task force to make searching for missing girls more equitable

Rochester-area leaders call for task force to make searching for missing girls more equitable

Rochester-area leaders call for task force to make searching for missing girls more equitable

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Finding missing people was the focus of a letter from Rochester-area leaders to Gov. Kathy Hochul.

They’re calling for a task force to ensure the process to find missing girls and women, especially Black and Indigenous people, is equitable. The letter is signed by Senator Samra Brouk, 20 other legislators, and dozens of community leaders. It highlighted a recent report which showed there are at least 60 missing children cases in Rochester, with most of them Black and Brown children.

The letter also mentioned also mentioned 16-year-old Jakarah Lopez-Moore who disappeared in August and was found dead weeks later. Part of the letter reads:

“As our community mourns the tragic loss of Jakarah, we are also faced with the question of what the outcome may have been had an AMBER alert been issued, or if appropriate resources were dedicated toward finding her.”

RPD says AMBER Alerts are only issued when investigators have a reason to believe a child was abducted.