Two young girls were reported missing after they rode off on bicycles from a Decatur neighborhood around noon Saturday, and DeKalb County Police asked the public for help finding them. Janiah, 14, and Iveon, 12, were last seen leaving the 2200 block of Chestnut Hill Circle, with Janiah pedaling a black and pink bike and Iveon riding a black and green one. Both children were found safe the next day.
According to Atlanta News First, Janiah stands about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 117 pounds, and was last seen wearing black shorts and black shoes. Iveon is described as 4 feet 4 inches tall and 125 pounds, last seen in a black shirt, denim shorts, and black and blue shoes. Police have asked anyone with information on the girls' whereabouts to call 770-724-7710.
The block where the girls were last seen is on Chestnut Hill Circle. The case has been assigned to the DeKalb County Police Department's Special Victims Unit, which operates within the department's Criminal Investigation Division and also handles domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse cases, per the DeKalb County government.
A Weekend Crowded With Missing Person Alerts
Janiah and Iveon's disappearance was not the only missing person case DeKalb County Police handled over the weekend. The department also searched for 13-year-old Zaria, who went missing Friday from Brook Ridge Avenue, and issued a Mattie's Call for a 56-year-old man who disappeared from Toney Drive in Decatur, according to The Georgia Sun. Hoodline has also reported on Zaria's case separately.
No Levi's Call, Georgia's version of an AMBER Alert, has been issued in connection with Janiah and Iveon's disappearance. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation can only activate that emergency alert system when local police confirm a child under 17 has been abducted and faces imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death, a threshold that explicitly excludes routine missing child or runaway cases, per state guidance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. That is why cases like this one rely primarily on police social media bulletins and tips from the community rather than a statewide emergency broadcast.
What the Law Requires When a Child Goes Missing
Behind the scenes, both state and federal law set strict timelines for how officers must respond once a missing child report is filed. Under Georgia Code § 35-3-83, law enforcement agencies are statutorily required to immediately notify on-duty officers, alert adjoining jurisdictions, and transmit the case record to the Georgia Missing Children Information Center, according to Justia Law. Federal law goes further: Suzanne's Law prohibits any mandatory waiting period before police accept a missing youth report and mandates immediate entry into the FBI's National Crime Information Center database for anyone under 21, per the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Nationally, most missing child reports resolve without tragedy. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children assisted law enforcement with 32,167 missing child cases in 2025 and achieved a 90 percent recovery rate overall, according to NCMEC. The organization's data also shows that more than 90 percent of missing child reports it receives nationwide involve runaways, and that roughly one in six endangered runaways is likely to be a victim of child sex trafficking — a risk factor that leads NCMEC to treat every runaway report as involving a child in danger. According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, more than 29,000 missing-child cases were reported to the organization in 2024, including over 27,000 classified as endangered. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reports that 6,778 children were recovered after being missing for six months or longer, with 97% of those cases involving children who ran away or were classified as runaway cases.
Neighborhood Has Seen Police Response Before
Chestnut Hill Circle was the site of a fatal shooting in May 2024, when a 29-year-old nurse was fatally shot while attending a family repast gathering, according to 11Alive. Investigators have not said whether surveillance footage, potential destinations, or any indication of foul play has surfaced in Janiah and Iveon's case.
DeKalb County also runs broader institutional resources for families of missing loved ones. The county hosts an annual Missing Persons and DNA Event in Decatur, where families can submit DNA reference samples and enter case details into national databases like NCIC and NamUs. Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the DeKalb County Police Department's Special Victims Unit.
