Phoenix Police are asking for the public's help locating a missing juvenile.
Phoenix Police posted a missing-juvenile notice on X, according to Phoenix Police
. Anyone with information is asked to call the non-emergency line at 602-262-6151 rather than leaving comments or direct messages, which are not a valid way to relay tips.
Arizona's Missing-Child Alert Requirements
Arizona Senate Bill 1416, which took effect last month, requires law enforcement agencies statewide to publish missing-child alerts on official social media and notify local media within 24 hours of taking a report, according to KTAR News.
Why This Isn't an AMBER Alert
Missing juvenile flyers are distinct from AMBER Alerts, which the Arizona Department of Public Safety reserves strictly for confirmed child abductions presenting an imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death. Routine missing juvenile reports, even urgent ones, fall outside that narrow threshold, which is why cases like these are distributed as standard flyers rather than emergency broadcast alerts, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
City of Phoenix guidance also notes that running away is not a crime under Arizona law, but logging a missing juvenile into national databases still allows officers who encounter a child elsewhere to verify the child's identity and arrange for parental custody. Nationally, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says runaway cases are the overwhelming majority of the missing-child cases it supports and reports a 90 percent overall recovery rate, per MissingKids.org.
Anyone with information about the missing juvenile is urged to call Phoenix Police at 602-262-6151.
