COLUMBUS, Ohio — Governor Mike DeWine has officially signed House Bill 359 into law, establishing the “Joshua Alert Act” to speed up emergency responses when children with autism or other developmental disabilities go missing.
Jointly sponsored by State Rep. Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) and State Rep. Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester), the legislation passed the Ohio General Assembly with unanimous bipartisan support.
The law honors the memory of 6-year-old Joshua Al-Lateef Jr., a nonverbal boy with autism from West Chester, Ohio, who tragically wandered away from home and drowned in a nearby pond in November 2024 after a delayed alert.
Under the new law, local law enforcement agencies must notify the statewide emergency notification system immediately upon verifying that a child under 18 with autism or a developmental disability is missing, eliminating previous waiting periods. The legislation also clarifies that being nonverbal, having limited communication abilities, or lacking the capacity for self-safety constitutes a “credible threat” that triggers an urgent alert.
The legislative push was heavily championed by Joshua’s mother, Jonisa Cook, founder of the Joshua Al-Lateef Jr. Foundation, alongside lawmakers, law enforcement officials, and disability advocates to ensure a faster public response during critical early search hours.
