Photos: Sunset park renamed in honor of Rachael Runyan

Elaine and Justin Runyan, center, attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renamed Rachael Runyan Memorial Park — in honor of their daughter — in Sunset on Friday. Three-year-old Rachael was snatched from a playground in front of her brothers on Aug. 26, 1982, and her body discovered 24 days later. The kidnapper has never been caught. Elaine Runyan again appealed to the public to help solve the case and finally bring justice to Rachael. The family is hoping a $50,000 reward will help persuade someone with information about the case to come forward. Rachael's case was a wake-up call to many Utahns that a massive amount of help is needed when a child is abducted. Few resources were available 34 years ago, and Rachel's parents had to scramble to notify the media and enlist volunteers to find their daughter. Elaine Runyan then worked on ways to make it easier for children to be recovered, and the first Rachael Runyan Alert went out when Elizabeth Smart was abducted on June 5, 2002. Within the next year, the alert was adopted nationally and became known as the Amber Alert, named after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and then murdered.