Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus
10/06/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/06/2025 12:04
New Proposal Aims to Strengthen Efforts to Find Vulnerable Missing Persons, Says Leadbeter
Oct. 06, 2025
HARRISBURG - State Rep. Robert Leadbeter (R-Columbia) announced he intends to introduce legislation - dubbed as Aiden's Law - to establish a "Purple Alert" system in Pennsylvania to ensure the Commonwealth's most vulnerable citizens who go missing are brought home.
Similar to Amber Alert for abducted children, Silver Alert for missing older adults and Green Alert for missing at-risk veterans, the Purple Alert system would rapidly notify the public and law enforcement when an individual with certain cognitive, intellectual or developmental disabilities goes missing.
Recently, 6-year-old Aiden Ha, a nonverbal autistic child who went missing on Saturday, Oct. 4, was tragically found dead in a river just one day later. Despite a thorough, multi-agency effort to find him, Leadbeter believes a Purple Alert system could have immediately distributed his photo, description, and last known location statewide - potentially saving a life.
"When a loved one with disability goes missing, every minute becomes critical," said Leadbeter. "Even when all hands are on deck, these individuals are let down by the current system. Life is precious, and families should never feel helpless when a situation like this happens. My proposal would give law enforcement more tools to save lives and give families more peace of mind."
Once introduced, it will be assigned to a House committee for consideration.
Representative Robert Leadbeter
109th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Nate Temple
717-260-6396
[email protected]
RepLeadbeter.com
Similar to Amber Alert for abducted children, Silver Alert for missing older adults and Green Alert for missing at-risk veterans, the Purple Alert system would rapidly notify the public and law enforcement when an individual with certain cognitive, intellectual or developmental disabilities goes missing.
Recently, 6-year-old Aiden Ha, a nonverbal autistic child who went missing on Saturday, Oct. 4, was tragically found dead in a river just one day later. Despite a thorough, multi-agency effort to find him, Leadbeter believes a Purple Alert system could have immediately distributed his photo, description, and last known location statewide - potentially saving a life.
"When a loved one with disability goes missing, every minute becomes critical," said Leadbeter. "Even when all hands are on deck, these individuals are let down by the current system. Life is precious, and families should never feel helpless when a situation like this happens. My proposal would give law enforcement more tools to save lives and give families more peace of mind."
Once introduced, it will be assigned to a House committee for consideration.
Representative Robert Leadbeter
109th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Nate Temple
717-260-6396
[email protected]
RepLeadbeter.com
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