The Overview

Michigan police can now send an Amber Alert for a missing child they believe is in danger, even when the case doesn’t fit the state’s old abduction rules. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed House Bill 4518 on July 21, and it took effect July 23. The bill is one of two that make up the Rowan Act. ​

The law is named for Rowan Morey, a 6-year-old from the Caledonia area. His biological father took him during a custody dispute in August 2024, and he was later found dead in Isabella County, WOOD TV reported. His mother, Brandi Morey-Pols, told lawmakers he was missing for 52 hours and that authorities said they couldn’t issue an Amber Alert because it was a civil custody matter, KVIA reported.

What the Law Does

Michigan State Police must now activate an Amber Alert for any missing child they believe is in immediate danger, once a law enforcement agency has done a preliminary investigation. The law also spells out that children with special needs qualify.

Under the law, a child with special needs is someone up to age 26 who hasn’t finished high school and has been found to have a qualifying disability by a special education team or a health care provider. The companion bill, House Bill 4517, lets alerts go out on social media, protects broadcasters that share them and creates a fund for the alert system, according to the governor’s office.

Legislative Status

Rep. Angela Rigas (R-Caledonia) sponsored the bill. Rep. Jerry Neyer (R-Shepherd), who sponsored the companion bill, was among its nine cosponsors. The House passed it 104-1 on Sept. 4, 2025, and the Senate passed a revised version 35-1 on July 3. The House agreed to the Senate’s changes 107-1 the same day, according to the FastDemocracy vote record.

“My son had to die because there was a gap in the law,” Morey-Pols said after the signing, WILX reported. She founded the Rowan Project to push for the change and has said she now wants to close the same gap in other states.

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