Ohio Launches ‘Joshua Alert’ to Help Save Missing Children with Autism
The Ohio Department of Education has created a new alert system to help communities find missing children with autism and other special needs children quickly.
The Joshua Alert is named after 6-year-old Joshua Al-Lateef, a child with autism who went missing from his home near Cincinnati in 2024. Joshua, who was nonverbal, was later found drowned in a nearby pond.
After Joshua’s death, his mother, Jonisa Cook, started to promote an alert system that would enable families to respond faster when children with similar needs are missing.
The campaign led to the passage of House Bill 359, which was unanimously approved by the General Assembly of Ohio in June and signed by Governor Mike DeWine. The law will come into effect in September 2026.
The Joshua Alert is like an Amber Alert. It can be activated by a law enforcement officer once he or she has established that a child with autism or special need is missing. The alert is designed to alert the public and urge them to help in the search.
When a child goes missing, it can be especially significant to involve the broader community, police officials say.
Cook has advised those receiving a Joshua Alert to not dismiss it as another phone call. She urged the public to read the information carefully, to be alert and to share the alert to reach more people.
The project aims to enhance community response and increase the likelihood of the safe recovery of missing children who are at risk.
