DNA Tests Needed in Search for Hannah and Ethan Anderson

The Latest: 10News.com is reporting  that the blue Nissan Versa, license plate 6WCU986, had been spotted near the  Oregon border, but sheriff's officials say it was a false alarm and not an accurate sighting. 

The Amber Alert issued in the search for Hannah and Ethan Anderson has been extended to the northwest, according to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

This comes about 24 hours after CBS8.com reported that the vehicle was captured by a license plate reader on an Orange County toll road.

Authorities also said Wednesday that DNA might be needed to identify the remains of a boy found in a burned home  in Boulevard Sunday. 

The woman he was found with has been identified as Christina Anderson of Lakeside – she has roots in La Mesa – and several family members and friends have said the dead boy is her son, Ethan, 8. The child, however, remains the subject of a search through several states. 

The basics: An Amber Alert was first announced Monday for Ethan and his big sister Hannah, 16. The suspect is Jim DiMaggio, a long-time family friend who the children's father Brett Anderson urged to free Hannah. He did not mention Ethan while doing so Tuesday, another suggestion the family believes the boy is gone.

Loved ones held a rally for Hannah and Ethan late Tuesday at her high school, El Capitan.

Meanwhile, a notice generated on many smartphones by the Amber Alert has set off a debate about the effectiveness of sending out such alarms in searches for missing children or other emergencies.

The Los Angeles Times reports that a critic of the approach is Marc Klaas, whose daughter was abducted and murdered 20 years ago.

City News Service contributed to this report.