Senate passes Ashanti Alert Act

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - The U.S. Senate has taken another step toward creating a system to help save adult kidnapping victims.

The Ashanti Alert Act passed Congress in September, and on Thursday, it received unanimous support in the Senate.

The legislation is a step toward creating something similar to an Amber Alert for adults who may have been kidnapped.

It's named in honor of Ashanti Billie, a Prince George's County native who moved to Norfolk, where she was kidnapped and murdered. Her body was found in North Carolina 11 days after she was reported missing.

Evidence suggested she'd been kidnapped, but no mechanism existed to expedite finding her.

The Ashanti Alert Act would help install a system to help law enforcement coordinate to find people suspected of being kidnapped.

The bill will now return to Congress.