Amber Alert canceled after Burlington police find missing Iowa girl alive

A 14-year-old girl reported missing from Burlington has been found after FBI agents descended on the Iowa city to aid in the search.

Authorities issued an Amber Alert for Caydence Roberts on Thursday at about 5:15 p.m. A neighbor spotted Roberts walking near her home in Burlington at around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to Burlington Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Chad Zahn.

That was the last time anybody had seen her before she was found safe Burlington on Friday mid-morning, he said.

"Caydence Roberts has been found alive in Burlington, Iowa. The Amber Alert has been canceled. Thank you to the public for assistance in this matter," the Burlington Police Department wrote on Facebook.

The department is not releasing any more information on the circumstances of her disappearance or how and where authorities found her, according to Zahn.

Investigation ongoing into disappearance

The Burlington Police Department said the investigation into Roberts' disappearance is ongoing.

Sherry Bandy, a close friend of the family who said she considers herself Roberts' aunt, said early Friday it was very out of character for the girl to leave home alone. Bandy said Roberts had plans with her mom to go back-to-school shopping Wednesday — something she would not have wanted to miss.

Just before she was found, Zahn said there were a dozen officers from the Burlington Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI searching for Roberts. He also said the FBI planned to establish a task force for the investigation.

"We're following every lead that comes in. We're receiving considerable information and tips as a result of the Amber Alert that was issued," Zahn said.

Shannon Krogmeier, the 911 director for Des Moines County, said the dispatch center received 60 calls within the first 15 minutes of the Amber Alert on Thursday evening. Within an hour, they had received almost 250 calls from across the state, including locally in Des Moines County and all the way out west near Omaha, she said.

The Department of Justice's recommendations for issuing an Amber Alert include "reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred" but in this case, Zahn said the department does not have any information indicating Roberts was abducted.

"We don't have a suspect. We have no clue where she's at or who she might be with. We consulted with the Department of Public Safety and told them what we had and they believed that we had enough for an Amber Alert," he said early Friday morning before Roberts was found.

Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at@francescablock3.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Amber Alert canceled after police find missing Iowa girl alive