A 2-year-old boy vanished from a Marietta apartment complex sometime around 1:30 p.m. Friday, prompting an urgent search by police and a public plea for tips. Messiah Harris was last seen inside a unit at the 8 Ridge Run SE apartment complex wearing blue and white striped pajamas with long sleeves and long pants before he went missing, according to police.
Marietta police officers were dispatched to the complex just before 2 p.m. after receiving a report that the toddler had gone missing, according to 11Alive. That timeline means officers arrived on scene roughly 30 minutes after Messiah was last seen inside the home, according to police. As Atlanta News First reports, officers conducted an extensive search of the area surrounding the apartment building after arriving.
WSB-TV reports that Messiah was just weeks away from celebrating his third birthday at the time he disappeared, an added detail that underscores how young and vulnerable he is as the search continues. The apartment complex sits in south Marietta near the Delk Road and Franklin Gateway corridor, in a multi-family residential building constructed in 1980, according to property records reviewed by Zillow.
How to Reach Police With Information
Marietta police are asking anyone who knows Messiah's whereabouts to call 911 immediately. Anyone with information that could help locate him is asked to call Marietta Police Detective Jayson Duncan directly at 770-794-5306, according to police. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the MPD mobile app, which the department began powering with the tip411 platform in January 2025, according to the Cobb County Courier. That system allows residents to submit text, photo, or video tips and hold two-way encrypted conversations with detectives while remaining completely anonymous.
Detective Duncan, designated as the primary point of contact for leads in Messiah's case, has a long record of recognition within the department. He received the 2016 Governor's Public Safety Award and was named the 2018 Cobb Chamber Public Safety Employee of the Year while serving with Marietta police, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Why This Search Differs From a Statewide Amber Alert
No statewide Amber Alert, known in Georgia as Levi's Call, has been issued in connection with Messiah's disappearance. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation states that Levi's Call can only be activated by local law enforcement when there is a confirmed child abduction involving a minor believed to be in imminent danger of serious injury or death, along with sufficient vehicle or suspect descriptions. Georgia created the alert system in memory of 11-year-old Levi Frady, who was abducted and killed in Forsyth County in October 1997, according to WSB-TV.
Under Georgia law, broadcasters that participate in disseminating Levi's Call alerts receive civil immunity, a legal framework designed to encourage rapid media distribution of the emergency notices once they are issued. It remains unclear whether investigators have determined the direction Messiah may have wandered, whether surveillance footage from neighboring units exists, or whether anyone saw a vehicle or unfamiliar individual near the apartment during the window before he was reported missing.
What National Data Shows About Missing Toddlers
National statistics suggest reason for cautious optimism even as the search continues. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reported assisting law enforcement with 32,167 missing child cases across the country in 2025, achieving a 90% safe recovery rate, according to the organization's annual data report. Separately, research compiled in July 2026 indicates that stranger abductions account for only about 0.3% of missing children cases nationally, roughly 115 incidents a year, with young toddlers more frequently involved in wandering, accidental separation, or family custody disputes, per Gitnux.
Those broader patterns do not resolve what happened to Messiah, and police have not indicated which scenario they believe applies to his case. For now, investigators are relying on the public to come forward with any information, however small, that might help bring the toddler home.
