Amber Alert For Missing Children Canceled; Users Bombarded Twitter With Notifications

Five-year-old Dennis Mathew Penny III and 2-year-old Grace Elizabeth Penny were discovered missing from the Mount Croghan area of Chesterfield County at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The siblings were last seen with their father Dennis Penny II, 37, in a white 2005 GMC Sierra with South Carolina plates HXQ669.  

According to reports from officials, the boy last seen wearing a Buzz Lightyear pajama shirt and green fleece pants and the little girl was wearing a blue shirt with a picture of a monkey on the front and red, white, and blue pajama pants.

It seems the social media attention may have helped with finding Dennis and Grace.

The Amber Alert was canceled, according to Savannah How, after the children were reported to be found in a safe location just after noon on Wednesday. 

Few details were released other than it was likely that Dennis Penny II, their father, kidnapped the children.

Amber Alerts are issued to the public to solicit their assistance when a child may have been abducted and is facing grave danger.

They now can be sent to phones, and many people immediately began to post about the missing children on Twitter, making “Amber Alert” a trending topic on Wednesday and Thursday. 

Most people were merely commenting on the fact that their phone alerted them of the Amber Alert:

@MarissaHatesMe said, “It's pretty crazy that I got a amber alert on my phone. It kinda scared me.”

‏@ShyheemAllen wrote, “Did Anybody Else Phone Get An Amber Alert ?

@Caldwell95 announced, “My phone just freaked on an Amber Alert. That's awesome.”

“I woke up with an amber alert popped up on my phone... #scared,” @RachelFry.

“I've seen so many what is a amber alert tweets it's ridiculous. Lol kinda sad,” @mwauhhShibon said.

Others weren’t taking the Amber Alerts as lightly and at least acknowledged that children were missing:

"My phone is blowing up with this amber alert. Please find these chillun," one person hoped.

Some shared the information in hopes the children and father would be found:

@cookescott wrote, "Amber Alert out of Chesterfield County. 5 year old Dennis and 2 year old Grace Penny - last seen w/ dad Dennis Penny." 

@Deblina_TW tweeted, "Amber Alert for two children. Praying they're safe and find their way home soon!"