Phoenix Police are asking the public for help locating a missing juvenile.
The appeal came from Phoenix Police
on the department's official social media account. Anyone with information is asked to call 602-262-6151 rather than respond through comments or direct messages, which police say are not a valid way to report tips. The department noted that its social media accounts are not monitored around the clock.
Why These Flyers Have Become More Common
Bulletins like this one have grown more frequent across the Phoenix area in recent weeks, and that uptick traces back to a change in state law rather than a surge in disappearances. Arizona Senate Bill 1416, signed by Governor Katie Hobbs on June 19, 2026, and in effect since September 12, requires law enforcement agencies statewide to publish a missing child's description, last known location, and a current photo if available, to official social media accounts and news outlets within 24 hours of a report, according to KTAR. The bill passed the Legislature unanimously before it was signed into law.
Separately, Arizona Revised Statutes § 8-901 requires police agencies to submit missing juvenile details into state and national crime databases within two hours after receiving the report and all necessary and available information, and to transmit information to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children within 24 hours, per the Arizona State Legislature. Those database entries stay active until a child is located or a case is formally closed. Federal law under Suzanne's Law adds another layer, requiring agencies nationwide to log missing youth under 21 into the FBI's National Crime Information Center immediately, with no waiting period, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Not a Crime, and Not Always Labeled a Runaway
NCIC listings can help locate runaway children. Arizona law bars agencies from publicly labeling a missing minor a runaway in alerts or social media posts unless investigators determine that doing so is necessary for the child's safety or the case itself.
Phoenix Police spokesperson Sgt. John Buchanan has said the department fields roughly 200 missing juvenile reports each month, and that the increased frequency of online flyers reflects the new reporting mandate rather than a spike in actual disappearances, a point echoed in Hoodline's recent coverage of another missing Phoenix teen. The appeal follows a string of similar notices from the department in recent days.
Why There Was No Statewide Emergency Alert
Cases like this one are shared through social media and news releases rather than a statewide emergency broadcast because Arizona's alert systems are reserved for narrower circumstances. The Arizona Department of Public Safety restricts AMBER Alerts to confirmed child abductions involving imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death, which is why routine missing-juvenile notices do not trigger a broadcast alert. The department also runs SAFE Alerts and Turquoise Alerts.
Anyone with information about the missing juvenile's whereabouts is urged to call Phoenix Police at 602-262-6151, or 911 in an emergency.
