SHELBYVILLE, Ky. — Four-year-old Serenity McKinney was reported missing by her grandparents on January 31, 2022.
They last saw her on December 24, 2020. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office said Serenity's mother, Abby McKinney, cut off contact with the family in the fall of 2021.
After repeated phone calls went unanswered, they filed missing persons report.
Abby McKinney was later found in Kansas and charged with custodial interference. Authorities say she was uncooperative in their attempts to find Serenity.
So, why wasn't an Amber Alert issued for Serenity McKinnley?
"Because she had been missing for a year at that point," explained Shelby County Sheriff's Deputy Shelby Guffey. "We had no direction of travel, we had no exact placement of where she went missing from."
- There is reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred.
- The law enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
- There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child.
- The abduction is of a child aged 17 years or younger.
- The child’s name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system.
That first criterion is crucial and Deputy Guffey said they did not have a reasonable belief that it was an abduction.
Serenity McKinney's case is still open and being actively investigated. If you have any information, call the Shelby County Sheriff's Department at 502-633-4324 or 502-633-2323.
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