AMBER Alert issued for 5 boys last seen in Cypress area this morning

HOUSTON — An AMBER Alert was issued Tuesday afternoon for five children who were last seen in the Cypress area on Tuesday morning with their biological mother and her boyfriend, who are both being charged in connection with their disappearance, according to officials.

They were last seen around 5:30 a.m. on Marina Alto Lane, near the intersection of West Road and Fry Road.

• Nicholas Menina, 8
• Zyden Menina, 10
• Jovion Menina, 12
• Javier Menina, 12
• Jared Menina, 14

Authorities said they believe the children are also with their brother, Jamerian Robinson, 18.

The kids' biological mother has been identified as Zaikiya Duncan, 40, and her boyfriend has been identified as Jova Terrell, 27. They are both in the process of being charged with injury to a child, according to Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap.

They think the kids are in a silver Mitsubishi Outlander with Louisiana license plate 234EUF. Heap's office said the SUV has a "Rick and Morty" sticker on the back window.

Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to call the Harris County Precinct 5 Constables Dispatch Office at 281-463-6666.

No photos of the children are available.

Here's a map of the area in which the children were last seen:

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Certain criteria need to be met in order for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert for a missing child age 17 or younger.

First, there needs to be a reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction occurred. Additionally, the law enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.

Another criterion is that there is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction that would assist in the recovery of the child, such as a vehicle description or license plate number.

As part of the AMBER Alert, the child's name and other critical date elements, including the child abduction flag, are entered into the National Crime Information Center.

The AMBER Alert system, used in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, was created in 1996. It stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped while riding her bike in Arlington, Texas, and later murdered.

You can view all active Texas AMBER Alerts from the Texas Dept. of Public Safety here.

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