Another explanation, though incredibly thin, is the one Riley Ann’s mother gave: Ohio authorities took the child away from her.

In both cases, we can understand why someone wouldn’t report her missing.

Of course, Riley Ann might still be alive but hidden from her grandmother and her father. Again, nobody would report her missing.

The flaw in this case can’t easily be laid at a missing-child project’s doorstep. If a report had been made but lost, yes. But the project cannot be held responsible for what it does not know. And why stop there? If the Amber Alert people have a crystal ball, why not the cops?

This is a tragic story. Baby Grace’s tragedy didn’t accidentally fall through the cracks of bureaucracy. So far, it appears that — in this case, abyway — there might be a deliberate effort to hide a little girl’s fate and whereabouts.

I blogged more fully about this “local” story at The Bayou