Mother's fight leads to Rowan Act, expanding Michigan missing child alerts

Michigan has expanded its alert system for missing children with the signing of the Rowan Act, legislation supporters say will help law enforcement respond more quickly in child abduction cases that do not meet the strict criteria for an Amber Alert. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the bipartisan legislation into law this week. The measure is named in honor of 6-year-old Rowan Morey, who was killed during a failed custody exchange in 2024. The new law creates an additional tool for law enforcement to notify the public when a child is missing and believed to be in danger, even if the case does not qualify for an Amber Alert. For Rowan's mother, Brandi Morey-Pols, the law marks the culmination of a yearslong effort to prevent other families from experiencing a similar tragedy. Rowan's death sparked calls for changes to Michigan's missing child alert system after no Amber Alert was issued during the search for the 6-year-old. Supporters argued the state's existing criteria left gaps in cases where children faced an imminent threat but did not meet all of the requirements for an Amber Alert. Morey-Pols and Heidi Britten-Zent, co-founder of The Rowan Project, said they hope the new law will provide law enforcement with another option to quickly alert the public and improve the chances of safely finding endangered children.