It was a story that captured the national spotlight just months ago.

"Without the amber alert going out i probably would not have made it back," said Paige Alley.

For nine days Lathrop teens Paige Alley and Levi Carlson went missing leading authorities on a nationwide search before a national Amber Alert brought them safely back home

"She was in a very dangerous situation," said Paige's father Jeff Alley. "She wanted out of it and didn't know how to get out of it."

Jeff Alley credits the Amber Alert effort for saving his daughters life.

"Nine days in cold doesn't exactly work," said Paige. "Cold and hungry and worrying for your own life and anyone who's with you. I only made it through with the grace of God.

The Amber Alert celebrates its 13th anniversary as voluntary program between law enforcement agencies and broadcasters.

The alert activates an emergency bulletin when a child has been abducted.

"It's huge to our society," said Jeff Alley. "It brought our daughter back to us and I've seen it work in other cases. If it brings one child back it was worth it. How do you put a value on a life.

While the Alley family is eternally thankful and Paige is doing well as a high school freshman and member of the Kansas City Youth Symphony, Jeff thinks the Amber Alert system still has a margin for improvement.

"When it was started it was started for one reason, for small very small children," he said. "But when you have a 14 year old daughter go missing you don't care what the reason is you just want her back."

The alert program is credited with the successful recovery of 432 children since the Amber Alert was created in 1996.