A 17-year-old Navajo teen who prompted a statewide Missing Indigenous Person Alert after disappearing from Ignacio has been located safely, Colorado officials said Tuesday. The alert for Zachary Martinez was deactivated, bringing a welcome end to a search that had stretched into its second week.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced that Martinez had been located safely and thanked the public for its assistance. The agency did not provide additional details about where he was found.
What The Alert Said
Martinez was last seen at about 6 a.m. last Monday after leaving the 600 block of Browning Avenue in Ignacio, according to the alert. He was described as 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 122 pounds, with dark brown eyes and short, curly hair; the notice said he was wearing black shorts, a white shirt and white shoes.
The alert was requested by the Southern Ute Police Department after Martinez, who is Indigenous and Navajo, was reported missing. With Martinez safely located, CBI has canceled the public request for information in the case.
Why Colorado Issued The Alert
Colorado's Missing Indigenous Person Alert program was established in 2022 to help locate missing Indigenous people when a disappearance poses a credible threat to the person's safety or health. The CBI's program guidance says local law enforcement must request the alert, which can then be distributed through Colorado media and, when available, highway message signs.
State law requires CBI to cancel an alert once the missing person is found or the notification period ends, whichever comes first. That framework is outlined in Senate Bill 22-150, the legislation that created Colorado's Missing Indigenous Person Alert system.
