Missing Girl, 8, Found Dead After Turquoise Alert Was Issued in Arizona By Kimberlee Speakman 20

The search for a missing 8-year-old girl in Arizona has come to a tragic end.

The Navajo Police Department (NPD) announced on Facebook on Friday, Jan. 16, that 8-year-old Maleeka Boone, who was reported missing the day before, has been found dead. 

The NPD said it has launched a joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBA) and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation (NDCI) into Boone’s disappearance and death.

The NPD did not give further information including where Boone’s body was found and her manner of death. 

Boone was last seen on Thursday, Jan. 15, at around 6 p.m. local time on foot on Cedar Loop in the Coalmine NHA housing area in Coalmine, which is located in the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona. 

“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 a rapid public notification system in Arizona for missing or endangered individuals under 65, including tribal members, to aid in their safe recovery.

In the Turquoise Alert, Boone was described 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 noted that she was last seen wearing “red jacket, blue jeans and cowboy boots.”

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Authorities — including the Arizona Department of Public Safety, U.S. Marshals Service, missing person unit, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, FBI and NDCI — searched for Boone on Friday. Volunteers in the Coalmine community also executed their own search with a briefing and team 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.

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The NPD said that anyone with information on the investigation into Boone’s disappearance and death should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or email tips.fbi.gov or contact the Navajo Police Department Tuba City District at 928-283-3111 / 3112.