The family of Hailey Buzbee is urging the U.S. House to consider a bill that would let law enforcement issue Amber Alerts for high-risk missing children even when investigators do not have evidence of an abduction. Buzbee, 17, was reported missing from her home in Fortville, Indiana, on Jan. 6. She was initially classified as a runaway, and no Amber Alert was issued. Her remains were found Feb. 1 in Wayne National Forest in Perry County, Ohio. A federal grand jury indicted Columbus resident Tyler Thomas, 39, on Sept. 23 on nine charges connected to Buzbee’s disappearance and death. Prosecutors accuse him of sexually exploiting, murdering and dismembering her. The charges are allegations, and Thomas is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Buzbee’s father, Beau Buzbee, thanked investigators and called on House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, to move the proposed HAILEY Act through committee and bring it to a House vote. Under current federal guidelines, authorities must reasonably believe a child 17 or younger has been abducted and faces imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death, among other requirements, before issuing an Amber Alert. The proposed legislation, introduced June 10 by Rep. Rudy Yakym, an Indiana Republican, would allow alerts for people under 18 whom law enforcement reasonably believes are high-risk missing persons, even without evidence of abduction. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and had not advanced as of Sept. 29. Legislation that does not become law by the end of the 119th Congress on Jan. 3, 2027, would need to be introduced again in the next Congress. Buzbee’s case has also prompted proposals in Ohio and Indiana. Ohio state Sens. Michele Reynolds and Kristina Roegner introduced Hailey’s Law in March. It would require certain gaming platforms to verify users’ ages, create a Pink Alert program for missing minors who do not qualify for Amber Alerts, and require schools to provide age-appropriate instruction about grooming. The measure has had two hearings in the Senate General Government Committee and is awaiting further action. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed two measures in March. One expanded the state’s Silver Alert system to cover all high-risk missing children and increased penalties for crimes involving child sexual abuse material. The other requires social media platforms to obtain verifiable parental or guardian consent before a child under 16 can open an account. In a statement, Beau Buzbee said alert systems and laws should account for the speed and methods used by predators and traffickers to conceal and move children. The proposals would change how authorities can respond when a child is missing but an abduction has not yet been established.