A statewide AMBER alert was issued for 6-month-old Devaeyah Lucas-Bell after she went missing in Hammond, Indiana. Authorities say she is believed to be in extreme danger and are asking the public to call 911 or the Hammond Police Department if they have any i
For the second day in a row, the name Devaeyah Lucas-Bell has been on the move across Indiana—pushed by an AMBER alert that officials say signals “extreme danger.”
A statewide AMBER alert was declared after the 6-month-old went missing and is believed to be in extreme danger, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Devaeyah was last seen on Thursday, May 21, at 4:20 a.m. local time, in Hammond, Indiana—about 163 miles northwest of Indianapolis. She is Black, with black hair and brown eyes. She is 22 inches long and weighs around 16 pounds.
The Hammond Police Department requested the activation of the AMBER alert. Authorities say Devaeyah was last seen wearing a white shirt and brown pants.
Investigators are also circulating a description of the person they suspect took her. Deandry Sabbs, a 31-year-old Black man who is 6’2 and weighs 208 pounds, is suspected of having taken Devaeyah. Police say he has black hair and is believed to be driving a “gray 4-door Nissan sedan with unknown Illinois plates.”.
Police did not state whether Sabbs has any connection to the infant. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or the Hammond Police Department at 219-852-6357.
The sequence of details—last-seen time, location, and a specific vehicle description—reflects how AMBER alerts are built to push urgent information to the public fast, before crucial leads fade.
The AMBER system began in 1996 in Texas when broadcasters partnered with local police to help find abducted children. It was created to honor Amber Hagerman. 9. who was abducted in Arlington. Texas. while riding her bike and was “brutally murdered.” The person who kidnapped and murdered Amber was never found. and the case remains unsolved.
An AMBER alert is designed for cases that meet specific requirements: the child must be 17 years or younger. law enforcement must have a reasonable belief that the child was abducted. the child’s information must be entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system. and there must be enough information about the victim and abduction for law enforcement to issue the alert.
AMBER alerts are different from Silver Alerts. which are used for missing persons who are 60 years and older. or for people between 18 and 59 if they have been determined to lack “the capacity to consent and that the use of dynamic message. ” according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The department also requires verification that the missing person has “irreversible deterioration of intellectual faculties. ” such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
As Indiana works through the early hours of the search for Devaeyah Lucas-Bell, the public’s role—calling in sightings and information—has been pushed to the front of the effort.
AMBER alert Devaeyah Lucas-Bell Hammond Indiana National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Deandry Sabbs missing child Amber Hagerman NCIC