Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli is replying to questions of why no Amber Alert was declared in the case of a missing Rochester five-year-old. The chief says, in a nutshell, it’s because police had a good idea of where Laylani Ortz was, but couldn’t disclose it without possibly alerting the child’s mother, who had taken her.
Chief Ciminelli says the case never met the standards for declaring an Amber Alert, but police did tap into national missing persons resources and got advice from State Police on the issue before deciding not to declare the alert.
Ciminelli says RPD investigators quickly found that Rene Strong, Laylani’s mother, had taken her on a flight from Rochester to San Diego. The plane took off about one minute after police were first dispatched for the missing person report.
State Police talked with their counterparts in California, and the California authorities agreed no Amber Alert should be issued. Security was stepped up on the Mexican and Canadian borders through Homeland Security. California Highway Patrol officers began searching southern California highways for the mother and daughter, and they were quickly spotted by a motel clerk who called authorities.
Chief Ciminelli says they’re not contemplating charges against anyone other than Rene Strong at this time. He says they don’t know when she’ll be returned to Rochester.