A 13-year-old boy has been missing since Sunday night in Zephyrhills, and police are asking the public to help bring him home. Riley Williams was last seen around 9 p.m. near Green Slope Drive and Pretty Pond Road, wearing dark pants or shorts and a black hoodie, according to authorities.
The Zephyrhills Police Department shared the missing juvenile bulletin Tuesday afternoon, describing Riley as 5 feet 6 inches tall and 108 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Zephyrhills Police Department at 813-780-0050, option 1. The department's post does not indicate whether investigators suspect foul play or whether Riley left the area on foot or in a vehicle, and no updated sightings had been publicly shared as of the bulletin's posting.
The intersection where Riley was last seen sits in a residential corridor near the Grand Horizons and Laurel Hammock neighborhoods, an area directly served by GoPasco bus Route 30, which connects to US Highway 301, according to Moovit. That transit link could factor into how far Riley may have traveled since he was last seen, though police have not said whether they believe he left the neighborhood.
Florida Law Requires Immediate Action on Missing Child Reports
Under Florida Statute 937.021, law enforcement agencies are legally required to accept missing child reports without any waiting period and must promptly enter case details into state and national databases, per the Online Sunshine legal database. That means Zephyrhills police were obligated to launch an immediate investigation the moment Riley's disappearance was reported, regardless of his age or the circumstances surrounding his absence.
Riley's case has been circulated as a local police bulletin rather than a statewide AMBER Alert. Florida Department of Law Enforcement criteria call for a Florida Missing Child Alert when a minor's life is determined to be in danger, while an AMBER Alert specifically requires clear evidence of an abduction, according to FDLE criteria cited by FOX 13 Tampa Bay. The FDLE also operates the Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse, established in 1996, which runs a 24-hour toll-free assistance line at 1-888-356-4774 to support local agencies searching for missing youth.
A Familiar Pattern of Searches in Zephyrhills
Zephyrhills has seen several missing juvenile cases resolved through rapid public alerts in recent months. Just two weeks earlier, local police safely located 17-year-old Zadock Wao after he was reported missing from the nearby Doe Path Court area, a case Hoodline previously reported was aided by quick sharing on social media. In March 2025, authorities in the city also recovered missing teenagers Makayla Stell, 15, and Julianah Rodriguez, 14, safe following public search requests.
More than 2,500 children are reported missing across Florida each year, according to law enforcement figures highlighted during state missing children awareness observances reported by FOX 13 Tampa Bay. The Zephyrhills Police Department, which is accredited by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation and was spotlighted on national public television earlier this year for its community-focused policing and crisis response training, also maintains long-term missing person investigations, including a cold case dating back to April 2007.
State lawmakers have also moved to address the broader issue of missing and runaway youth. Florida enacted House Bill 143, establishing a specialized Task Force on the Monitoring of Children in Out-of-Home Care within the FDLE, ordering monthly data reporting to examine the root causes behind missing and runaway juveniles, according to the Florida Senate. For now, whether Riley Williams left willingly, was accompanied by someone, or is in danger remains unknown, and police have not released further details beyond the initial bulletin. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the Zephyrhills Police Department.
