Why it took two months to issue Amber Alert for missing San Antonio teen Joanna Luna
Joanna Luna went missing in August in San Antonio but an Amber Alert wasn't issued until...
Why it took two months to issue Amber Alert for missing San Antonio teen Joanna Luna
On Sunday, 13-year-old Joanna Luna’s name appeared on cellphones and billboards across the state.The Amber Alert, issued two months after she was last seen on the Northwest Side of San Antonio in August, said that Joanna had “absconded” with a 17-year-old boy.
The Texas Department of Public Safety activates these alerts only when the investigating agency declares them in writing after meeting certain criteria. The agency in this case is the San Antonio Police Department.
When asked why it took so long to issue an Amber Alert for Joanna, SAPD said only that "there were developments in the case that caused this to rise to the level that DPS allowed for the Amber Alert issuance."
Ricardo Guzman, a spokesman for the department, did not answer specific questions about the case “due to a minor being involved.”
Ericka Miller, the press secretary for DPS, deferred comments about the case to SAPD.
According to the DPS Amber Alert request form, the criteria for whether to issue an Amber Alert are usually as follows: if there is evidence that a child has been abducted; if it appears the child is in imminent danger; and if the child, 13 years of age or younger, was taken without the permission of a parent or legal guardian.
In its public statements, the San Antonio Police Department has not said much about Joanna’s disappearance. Authorities believe she may have been taken by 17-year-old Ricardo “Xavier” Rodriguez.
Joanna was last seen in the 11700 block of Spring Dale Dr. in San Antonio.
MEDIA - JOANNA LUNA: Missing from San Antonio, TX since 20 Aug 2022 - Age 13
Last edited:
