A 4-year-old child was found safe in Ozark, Missouri, on January 31, 2026, less than ten minutes after an Amber Alert was issued, KOAM reported. The Missouri State Highway Patrol credited license plate reader technology and citizen tips. The suspect, a 20-year-old man wanted in a January 30 homicide in Mansfield, Texas, was taken into custody; the suspect vehicle was last seen in Ozark at 8:16 a.m.
At a glance
- Agency
- Missouri State Highway Patrol
- Alert tied to
- A January 30, 2026, homicide in Mansfield, Texas
- Location
- Ozark, Missouri, Jan. 31, 2026; vehicle last seen at 8:16 a.m.
- Time to recovery
- Less than 10 minutes after the alert, per the Patrol
- Result
- The 4-year-old was found safe; the suspect was taken into custody
How the plate reader helped
This is what the report says about the technology’s role.
- The Highway Patrol credited license plate reader technology and tips from citizens.
- The vehicle was located within minutes of the alert going out.
The outcome
- The child was recovered safely and the suspect was taken into custody.
In the news
“Thanks to License Plate Reader (LPR) technology and tips from citizens, this safe recovery occurred less than 10 minutes of the alert going out.”
The excerpt is quoted word for word. The rest of this page paraphrases the same report, so names, dates and figures are the reporter’s or the agency’s, not ours. Where a report does not say something, we do not guess.
Context and caveats
- The Patrol’s statement credited both technology and the public.
- Details of charges were not given in the report.
License plate readers are one investigative tool among several. They flag vehicles and give investigators leads; officers, detectives and the public do the rest, and every lead still has to be verified. For how agencies govern the technology, see our policy and data-retention guide and the accuracy guide.
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Frequently asked questions
How fast was the child found?
Less than ten minutes after the Amber Alert went out, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
What helped besides the reader?
Tips from citizens, per the Patrol’s statement.