More than 600 missing-person reports have poured out of two neighboring residential campuses in Queen Creek, a number families say has been devastating. The tally includes the 2025 disappearance and later death of 15-year-old Xion Ervin-Jenkins, and as of July 15, 2026 two teens placed at the campuses remain missing. Neighbors, advocates and police say the pattern has forced a hard rethink of patrols, search tactics and oversight around the facilities.
Records and the missing youths
A review of Queen Creek Police Department call-for-service logs found that Canyon State Academy and Desert Lily Academy generated more than 600 missing-person reports between January 2022 and September 2025, according to ABC15. The two side-by-side campuses are licensed by the Arizona Department of Child Safety and, facility officials say, together serve about 600 youth a year.
Police steps and search changes
Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice told ABC15 the department has expanded cameras, drone support and tracking in an effort to cut down response times. "We're seeing about 90% of the runaways — we're catching within minutes to maybe an hour or two," Brice said, while warning that the remaining cases carry a high risk of exploitation. That risk was underscored by the case of Xion Ervin-Jenkins, who vanished after arriving at a program in May 2025 and was later found dead. The medical examiner ruled his death a heat-related fatality.
Investigations tie some runaways to trafficking
An investigation by FOX 10 Phoenix reported that Queen Creek officers have been dispatched to the campuses more than 2,000 times since 2022 and that several runaway cases later became trafficking probes. FOX 10 traced a 2022 case that resulted in a 20-year sentence for a man prosecutors said exploited girls who had left Desert Lily, highlighting the stakes when teens disappear from care.
Facilities' response and local oversight
In a municipal news release, the Queen Creek Police Department pointed to the high volume of calls at the Rite of Passage-run campuses and said responses include proactive patrols and a range of incidents from runaways to assaults and mental-health crises. The department also said it will continue working with facility staff while reviewing hiring and oversight steps aimed at protecting vulnerable youth, according to the Queen Creek Police Department.
How the law frames secure care
State statutes define "secure care" as a locked, physically secure setting and generally prohibit placing children who are not involved in the criminal justice system into locked facilities, according to the Arizona Legislature. Regulators and the Department of Child Safety emphasize trauma-informed approaches and say congregate care settings may not prevent methods of safe exit, a constraint that complicates efforts to stop runaways and shape oversight, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
Advocates and families say the pattern points to deeper gaps in services and oversight for adolescents in foster care, and lawmakers and local officials say they are watching developments as investigations continue. For anyone with information about a missing youth from these campuses, police ask that tips be sent to the Queen Creek Police Department so searches can continue.
