NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is addressing confusion caused by an AMBER Alert that briefly directed users to information about the wrong missing child.
The alert, issued Wednesday for 1-year-old Lilly Hill of Franklin County, included a link that initially led users to an expired AMBER Alert from an unrelated case involving 3-year-old Tyler Hall of Clarksville.
Hall had been reported missing in June but was later found safe in his home. However, when Tennesseans clicked the link attached to Wednesday’s emergency notification, they were shown information related to Hall rather than Lilly Hill.
The mistake created confusion among some residents who believed Hall had gone missing again.
According to authorities, Lilly Hill was the child involved in Wednesday’s AMBER Alert. Investigators said she was later found safe in Cartersville, Georgia, with her non-custodial mother.
Error Corrected Within Minutes
A TBI spokesperson said the agency became aware that the alert’s link was directing users to an expired case and corrected the issue within minutes.
However, the alert itself was not reissued after the correction, meaning some people who had already viewed the original information may not have realized the details had changed.
The incident came during an active search for Lilly after authorities said her mother, Kasey Hill, fled with the child from the Franklin County Judicial Center around 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office officials began searching for the child and notified the TBI, which reviewed the circumstances to determine whether the case met the criteria for an AMBER Alert.
Additional information gathered during the investigation led the TBI to activate the alert around 5:20 p.m.
Resident Says Alert Caused Confusion
Rebecca Barnes of Clarksville said she immediately opened the alert and saved a screenshot of the information displayed.
Because the image showed Tyler Hall’s information, Barnes said she believed for several hours that the Clarksville child had gone missing again.
“Like most people, you’re not going to click on the same link again if you’re going to take a picture of the original link,” Barnes said.
Barnes said she believes a second alert should have been issued once the mistake was discovered.
“At the minimum, a whole new alert should have been issued,” she said. “Potentially an alert saying, ‘Please disregard, Tyler Hall is safe, he is not the child missing, this is the child missing.'”
TBI Responds
The TBI declined an interview but released a written statement explaining the issue.
“What happened Wednesday night was unfortunate, isolated, and quickly corrected within minutes,” the agency said.
The bureau stated that the problem occurred when the link in the mobile phone alert “inadvertently directed web traffic to an expired Amber Alert.”
Officials said they have already reviewed the incident to help ensure future alerts are accurate and accessible.
The agency noted that Tennessee recently implemented new technology and procedures for wireless emergency alerts in an effort to reach more people during critical incidents.
TBI also emphasized that AMBER Alerts are distributed through several channels, including social media platforms, TDOT message boards and National Weather Service weather radios.
While the mistaken link caused confusion, authorities stressed that Lilly Hill was located safely and the alert was ultimately successful in helping raise awareness about the case.
