Sanford police said 11-year-old Sumaiya Brown, who was reported missing and endangered, was found and safely returned home after she was last seen Thursday in the 600 block of Old England Loop. She is 4 feet 8 inches tall, weighs about 90 pounds, and has brown eyes and brown hair, according to police.
Police said Sumaiya had last been seen wearing a lilac-colored shirt, white and green pants, and a white hat with writing on it, as reported by WESH 2. The Sanford Police Department posted the missing-person information to social media Thursday and said her means of travel was unknown. The Stratford Point Apartments complex is at 1700 Old England Loop.
Officers had urged anyone who spotted Sumaiya or had information about her whereabouts to contact police immediately. The department's report noted there was no indication of the circumstances that led to her disappearance, and it was unclear whether investigators suspected foul play, a runaway situation, or something else entirely.
How Florida Handles Endangered Child Cases
Florida law enforcement agencies do not require families to wait any set period before reporting a missing or endangered child, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Once a case is reported to the Florida Crime Information Center, local agencies can tap FDLE's Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse, known as MEPIC, which was established in 1983 as the nation's first state-level missing persons clearinghouse and helps generate flyers and coordinate intelligence across agencies.
A Florida AMBER Alert requires a well-founded belief, based on an active investigation, that a kidnapping has occurred, along with an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm. A Missing Child Alert is another alert type FDLE can issue, according to AMBER Advocate.
Sanford police also have access to a broader mutual-aid framework in emergencies like this one. The department works within a joint inter-agency agreement and Child Abduction Response Team structure alongside the Seminole County Sheriff's Office and FDLE, allowing for rapid resource sharing during urgent missing-child investigations, per documentation from the City of Winter Springs.
Statewide Recovery Rates Offer Some Context
When these alerts do go out, Florida's track record for bringing children home has been strong. FDLE's clearinghouse issued 81 Missing Child Alerts and seven AMBER Alerts across the state in 2025, and all seven AMBER Alert subjects along with 77 of the 81 Missing Child Alert subjects were safely recovered, figures presented during the 2026 Florida Missing Children's Day ceremony and reported by Florida Politics.
The state has also leaned into larger coordinated efforts this year. In August, Florida's Attorney General and FDLE announced the recovery of 163 missing children statewide, ranging in age from 2 months to 17 years, under what officials called Operation Statewide Shield — described as the largest joint child recovery operation in state history, according to a release from My Florida Legal.
How to Report a Sighting
Police urged anyone with information about Sumaiya's whereabouts to contact the department.
Sanford police have not released additional details about Sumaiya's disappearance, and she was found safe and returned home.
