Aubrey Police are asking the public for help finding a 13-year-old boy who was last seen in the 9900 block of Lexington Drive in Providence Village. DeMario Murray, born December 2, 2012, is described as a Black male standing about 5 feet tall and weighing approximately 90 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. His last known clothing description was not made available.
The Aubrey Police Department posted the appeal, labeled “RUNAWAY,” to its Facebook page late last night, saying it is seeking information about Murray's whereabouts. Anyone with information is asked to call the department at 940-349-1600 ext. 1, or 911 in an emergency.
Why Aubrey Police Are Handling the Case
Providence Village does not run its own police force. Instead, the town contracts around-the-clock law enforcement coverage from the City of Aubrey Police Department, which also patrols nearby subdivisions including Sandbrock Ranch, Silverado, Aspen Meadows, and Winn Ridge, according to the Town of Providence Village. That arrangement is why Aubrey officers, rather than a local department, are leading the search for Murray.
Aubrey's police force consists of 37 sworn officers and five non-sworn staff members covering roughly 37,000 residents across 42 square miles of northeast Denton County, per the City of Aubrey. The department earned state accreditation from the Texas Police Chiefs Association in 2021 and completed re-accreditation this past February, a credential that verifies compliance with more than 170 best-practice standards for law enforcement.
A Fast-Growing Community Along the 380 Corridor
Providence Village has grown quickly since it was first developed as a master-planned community in 2000. The town's population rose from 7,691 residents recorded in the 2020 Census to an estimated more than 13,000 by 2026, according to World Population Review, as development continues along the Highway 380 corridor in Denton County.
State law sets a firm timeline for how police must respond to reports like this one. Under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 63.00905, law enforcement agencies are required to immediately begin investigating a missing child report and enter the minor's information into state and national databases within two hours, according to FindLaw.
What Texas Law Says About Runaways
Running away from home is not a criminal offense in Texas. Under Texas Family Code § 51.03, it is classified instead as “conduct indicating a need for supervision,” meaning youth under 17 cannot be criminally charged, though officers can take them into protective custody and return them to their guardians, per FindLaw.
The law does, however, place responsibility on adults. Under Texas Penal Code § 25.06, intentionally harboring a runaway child under 18 without notifying the minor's legal guardians or local law enforcement is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and fines as high as $4,000, according to the same FindLaw summary of state statutes.
Runaways Make Up Most Missing-Child Cases
Cases like Murray's are, statistically, the most common type of missing-child report police handle. Texas logged 28,229 missing child reports in 2025, with runaways accounting for an estimated 80% to 85% of all missing youth cases statewide, according to 2025 data from the Texas Department of Public Safety Missing Persons Clearinghouse compiled by the Texas Center for the Missing.
Nationally, the pattern is similar. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children supported 32,167 missing child cases in 2025, with 92% classified as runaways and an overall case resolution rate of 90%, the organization reports. Despite those high recovery odds, agencies including NCMEC treat every runaway report with urgency given the risks minors can face while missing.
Aubrey police have issued similar public appeals before. In October 2024, the department sought information on 15-year-old Herbert Kennebrew, who went missing from the 1900 block of Murphy Court, also in Providence Village. It is not yet known whether search teams or K-9 units have been deployed to look for Murray, or whether surveillance footage from Lexington Drive or nearby commercial areas has produced any leads.
The department has managed other high-stakes incidents in Providence Village in recent months, including a 26-hour domestic hostage standoff this past April that was resolved without physical injuries with help from regional partners including Denton SWAT, as Hoodline reported at the time. Anyone with information about Murray's location is urged to contact the Aubrey Police Department at 940-349-1600 ext. 1.
