When can an Amber Alert be issued?

An Amber Alert is specifically designed to address cases of child abduction, particularly when there is an imminent threat to the child's safety. The criteria for issuing an Amber Alert typically includes the following: there must be evidence or reasonable belief that the child has been abducted, the child must be under the age of 18, and there must be information that could assist in the child’s safe recovery.

In the context of the correct option, it reflects the essential conditions that trigger an Amber Alert. The emphasis is on abduction by someone unrelated to the child, which indicates that the child is in immediate danger, thereby justifying urgent dissemination of information to the public to aid in their swift recovery.

The other choices do not meet the strict criteria necessary for triggering an Amber Alert. Simply missing a child for more than 24 hours may not indicate an abduction or imminent danger. Instances where a child runs away from home may involve different protocols that do not necessarily classify under the criteria of an Amber Alert, and a child being reported lost does not imply abduction by another party, which is crucial for activating an Amber Alert.