Watts Family Searches for Missing 13-Year-Old Last Seen at Jordan Downs

A 13-year-old girl has not been seen or heard from since she disappeared from a Watts public housing complex five days ago, and her family says they are desperate for answers. Scarlett Patricia Acuna was last spotted at 3:23 p.m. on August 23 on the 10000 block of Lou Dillon Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, and no one close to her has heard from her since.

The Los Angeles Police Department specified that Acuna was last seen within the Jordan Downs public housing complex in Watts, according to MyNewsLA. As KTLA first reported, Acuna was reported missing that same day, and it remains unclear where she may have been heading when she disappeared. Her family has described themselves as very concerned for her well-being and says they have not received any word from her since she went missing.

What Scarlett Was Wearing, and Her Description

Police describe Acuna as a Hispanic female standing about 5 feet tall and weighing roughly 100 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, per the LAPD update relayed by MyNewsLA. When she was last seen, she was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black shorts, and brown shoes, according to the same KTLA report. Family members have not cited any physical or mental health conditions that might have contributed to her disappearance.

Why She's Classified as Critically Missing

LAPD has classified Acuna as critically missing, a designation reserved for cases involving someone with no pattern of running away or disappearing, a person in critical need of medical attention, a mentally impaired individual unable to care for themselves or posing danger to themselves or others, or a suspected victim of a crime, foul play, kidnapping, or parental abduction, per KTLA's reporting on the case. That classification does not necessarily mean investigators have confirmed any of those scenarios in Acuna's case — it is the framework LAPD uses to prioritize the most urgent missing-person cases for public attention.

It also explains why, so far, there has been no statewide AMBER Alert. California Highway Patrol’s AMBER Alert plan requires confirmed evidence of an abduction, a victim aged 17 or younger or disabled, imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death, and actionable descriptive information before a public alert can go out, according to the California Highway Patrol. Without confirmed abduction evidence, Acuna's case falls into LAPD's critically missing category rather than triggering that broader emergency broadcast.

A Neighborhood in the Middle of Redevelopment

The 10000 block of Lou Dillon Avenue sits inside Jordan Downs, a roughly 700-unit public housing development in Watts. The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles has the complex undergoing a major multi-phase redevelopment that is replacing the original units with mixed-income apartments, retail space, and community centers. Investigators have not said whether construction activity or the shifting layout of the property has factored into the search.

California law leaves police departments no room for delay in cases like this one. Penal Code Section 14211 requires local police and sheriff's departments to accept any missing person report — including for juveniles and runaways — without delay and to prioritize it over property crime investigations, according to IHSS Connect. The same statute requires agencies to electronically submit missing person reports to the California Department of Justice database within two hours of receipt, eliminating any myth of a waiting period before police can act on a missing child.

How to Help or Report a Sighting

LAPD's Southeast Division is asking anyone with information about Acuna's whereabouts to call 213-972-7942. Tipsters who want to remain anonymous can instead contact L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip online at lacrimestoppers.org. For calls outside of regular business hours or on weekends, LAPD can be reached at 1-877-527-3247.

The case echoes past missing-juvenile investigations handled by LAPD's Southeast Division, including a 2024 alert for a missing Long Beach girl, which drew joint AMBER and Ebony Alert activations. California created the Ebony Alert system in 2024 under Senate Bill 673 to issue public advisories specifically for missing Black youth and young women ages 12 to 25 under unexplained or suspicious circumstances, addressing gaps in how missing-youth cases had historically been publicized, according to the California Highway Patrol. As of now, no alert of that kind has been issued for Acuna, and investigators have not disclosed whether they have located surveillance footage or witnesses from within the Jordan Downs complex. For now, her family is left waiting, and police are asking anyone with even a small piece of information to come forward.