A 13-year-old girl has been missing from Knoxville's Morningside community since Sunday afternoon, when she was last seen at her home wearing a green shirt and blue jeans. Authorities are asking the public for help locating Ci'ana Ross.
Ross was last seen around 1:50 p.m. on September 6, according to a missing teen alert circulated by East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers on Facebook. She is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and about 155 pounds. The Knoxville Police Department is associated with the alert, which asks anyone with information on her whereabouts to come forward.
Anyone with information about her whereabouts should come forward, according to the alert. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by calling 877-363-8847, texting ETTips to 738477, using the P3 Tips app, or going online at EastTNValleyCrimeStoppers.org. The organization notes that text message frequency varies and message and data rates may apply, and it provides help and stop text commands for those who opt in.
How Knoxville Police Handle Missing Youth Cases
Juvenile missing person investigations in Knoxville fall under the Knoxville Police Department's Special Crimes Unit, which also handles domestic violence and human trafficking investigations and coordinates with agencies like the Tennessee Department of Children's Services. The department also lists a Search and Rescue unit that conducts missing-person searches and identifies witnesses.
Knoxville police also list Take Me Home among their resources.
No Waiting Period, and a High Bar for Statewide Alerts
Tennessee has procedures addressing missing-person reports and child alerts.
Those systems include AMBER Alerts and Endangered Child Alerts for missing children.
Ross's case has been shared through regional networks such as East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers and social media. East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers is the organization identified in the alert and accepts anonymous tips.
A Neighborhood With a Deep History
Morningside is the East Knoxville neighborhood where Ross was last seen.
Nationally, missing-child cases are also addressed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Ross's case remains open as investigators and the public search for information on her whereabouts.
