Milwaukee police are asking for the public's help finding James Davis, a 13-year-old boy last seen near South 22nd Street and West Mineral Street around 2 p.m. on Monday. He's described as a Black male with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 110 pounds. He was last seen wearing no shirt, light blue jeans, and white and black flip-flops.
James has been classified as critically missing, according to the Milwaukee Police Department, which is asking anyone with information to call its Second District station at 414-935-7222. Under the department's Standard Operating Procedure 180, officers assign the “critically missing” designation to reports involving risk factors such as young age, physical or cognitive disabilities, severe medical needs, suicidal ideation, or suspected foul play — a classification meant to trigger immediate search deployment rather than any waiting period, per the department's own policy.
That urgency isn't just departmental practice. Federal law under Suzanne's Law requires local and state law enforcement to enter missing youth under age 21 into the FBI's National Crime Information Center database as soon as a report is received, eliminating any mandatory delay for teenagers, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Where James Was Last Seen
The intersection of South 22nd Street and West Mineral Street sits within the Milwaukee Police Department's District Two, a near South Side patrol area that covers 7.2 square miles and serves more than 87,000 residents, according to the City of Milwaukee. The neighborhood, close to Mitchell Park, is made up of compact residential blocks connected to major south-side thoroughfares and has drawn major police responses before, including an October 2022 vehicle pursuit that originated near the same corner, as reported by Patch.
District Two is headquartered at 245 W. Lincoln Ave. and is leading the search for James. Investigators there work alongside the department's Sensitive Crimes Division, which partners with district-level officers to track leads and push out public advisories and social media alerts in active missing-person cases, according to CBS 58.
Statewide Alert Tools and Seasonal Trends
Wisconsin maintains a Crime Alert Network under state law that allows police agencies to broadcast reports on missing persons at risk and missing children across local and statewide media channels, according to the Wisconsin Legislature. Separately, the state expanded its Missing Child Alert provisions in 2024 under 2023 Act 272.
Milwaukee investigators have said the city typically sees a 20 percent to 50 percent jump in critical missing-person cases during warmer months, which they attribute to increased outdoor mobility, per CBS 58. Nationally, the scale of these cases is significant: the FBI's National Crime Information Center logged 349,557 missing youth reports in 2024, with juveniles making up about 27 percent of all active missing-person entries by year's end. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says it assisted law enforcement with 32,167 missing child cases in 2025 and achieved a 90 percent recovery rate.
Recent Milwaukee Cases
James's case adds to a string of critical missing-person alerts issued across Milwaukee in recent weeks. Hoodline reported Daniela Pena-Morales was found safe on September 4, the same day 17-year-old Zyterria McKinney-Noblin was located safe after a North Side search. Earlier searches this summer included those for 8-year-old Jeresa Rowe, 14-year-old Khloe Johnson, 11-year-old Kylah Allen, and 10-year-old Jalynn Lacefield, all of whom were the subject of critical missing alerts in August. Police have not indicated what specific risk factor prompted James's critical classification, and it remains unclear whether surveillance footage from businesses near Mineral Street has produced any leads.
