The search for a missing 8-year-old girl in Arizona has ended tragically.
The Navajo Police Department (NPD) announced on Facebook on Friday, Jan. 16, that 8-year-old Maleeka Boone, who had been reported missing the day before, had been discovered dead.
The NPD announced a joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation (NDCI) into Boone’s disappearance and death.
The NPD did not provide any information, such as where Boone’s body was discovered or how she died.
Boone was last seen walking on Cedar Loop in the Coalmine NHA housing complex in Coalmine, Navajo Nation, northern Arizona, around 6 p.m. local time on Thursday, Jan. 15.
“She has not been seen or heard from since,” NPD said at the time. “The family was [concerned] for her welfare since it is out of character for her to be gone for an extended period of time.”
Following her disappearance, authorities sent out a Turquoise Alert, which is Arizona’s swift public notification system for missing or endangered people under the age of 65, including tribal members, to aid in their safe return.
The Turquoise Alert described Boone as “a Native American female, 4 feet 5 inches tall, 50 lbs., with brown eyes and long, brown hair with French braids on both sides.” Authorities reported that Boone last appeared wearing a “red jacket, blue jeans, and cowboy boots.”
On Friday, authorities, including the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the United States Marshals Service, the missing person unit, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the NDCI, searched for Boone. Volunteers from the Coalmine community also conducted their own search, following a briefing and squad assignments.
After Boone was found dead, authorities announced that the Coalmine area would “be on lockdown until further notice.” They noted that residents were “asked to remain within their home area” as law enforcement conducted “further investigation.”
“The FBI has set up a command station in Coalmine … and a search continues for any information. Details of when Maleeka Boone was last seen from her family and community members [are] still under investigation,” said the NPD.
The NPD stated that anybody with information on Boone’s disappearance and death should call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or email tips.fbi.gov, or the Navajo Police Department Tuba City District at 928-283-3111 / 3112.