Ashanti Alert Act, named for kidnapped woman found dead in Charlotte, signed into law

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A law designed to create a nationwide alert system for adults between the ages of 18 and 64 was signed into law Monday by President Donald Trump, WTOP reported.

>> Read more trending news

The Ashanti Alert Act -- named for Maryland native Ashanti Billie, who was kidnapped and murdered in the fall of 2017 -- was sponsored by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.

[READ MORE: Bill introduced for Virginia teen found slain behind Charlotte church]

Billie was 19 when she disappeared from the Hampton Roads, Virginia, area in September 2017. She was too old to qualify for an Amber Alert, the nation’s child abduction alert system, and too young to be considered for a Silver Alert, a system used to locate senior citizens, the television station reported.

Billie’s body was found near a church in Charlotte two weeks after she disappeared.

[Retired Navy vet accused of killing girl found on Charlotte church lawn]

The Ashanti Alert system will empower police to notify radio and television stations, and activate road and highway electronic sign boards for missing adults between the ages of 18 and 64, the television station reported.

“Despite the tragic loss of Ashanti Billie, with the love and support of Meltony and Brandy Billie (her parents), along with the Hampton Roads community, the Ashanti Alert Act is now law of the land,” Warner said in a statement. “In this new year, it is my hope that this important law enforcement tool can help save countless lives.”

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

• CMPD: First homicide of 2019 at same house where kidnapped teen was beaten
• Police say man hit, killed by several vehicles dragged 1,000 feet by car
• SC woman killed trying to move stalled SUV as her children witness tragedy
• WATCH: Jaclyn Shearer's New Year's Day forecast outlook
• FDA says certain antibiotics could rupture main artery

Cox Media Group