With the question of why a missing person alert for 12-year-old Jahmeshia Conner wasn't issued to the media hanging over its head, the Chicago Police Department is making changes to its alert system. The Tribune reports that 11 alerts have been issued in the last five days. Detectives investigating Jahmeshia's November 15th disappearance filed a report for an alert two days after she went missing but authorities are still looking into why the alert was never issued to the media; Jahmeshia was found dead in an alley early last week. Cindy Rudometkin of the Polly Klaas Foundation, though, expressed concern to the Tribune and called for discretion in issuing the alerts and the media's coverage of them: "If you put out an alert for every child, the alerts are not going to work anymore. People will become desensitized." more ›

A doctoral student from Chicago's Adler School of Professional Psychology is still missing, despite the efforts of the US government, a private company specializing in rescues and 280 other volunteers and police. The Red Cross is supervising the effort. Daniel Gimelfarb, 28, has been missing in a Costa Rican national park since Aug. 11. His parents arrived Aug. 13 to lead the rescue mission. According to the Sun-Times, Gimelfarb spoke fluent Spanish and was in good physical condition when he left. more ›

Stacy Peterson's sister, Cassandra Cales, is calling for volunteers to help in a new search for the missing fourth wife of Drew Peterson. Details as to where the search will take place will be handed out tomorrow morning at 10 am at the Ikea store in Bolingbrook. [WBBM] more ›