Phoenix police are asking the public for help in a missing-person case.
The Phoenix Police Department shared a missing-person appeal through its official account, in a post available from Phoenix Police
The department is directing anyone with information to call 602-262-6151 rather than respond through social media. Phoenix Police said social media comments and direct messages are not a valid way to report information.
Why So Many Missing-Child Alerts Are Showing Up Online
Phoenix Police have posted public missing-juvenile notices since September, including recent searches for 15-year-old Nevaeh Jackson and 17-year-old Jazzell Avalos. The increase traces back to Arizona Senate Bill 1416, which amended A.R.S. § 8-901 and took effect on September 12, requiring law enforcement statewide to share photos and information about missing children on social media and with media outlets within 24 hours of a report unless an agency determines that doing so would interfere with locating the child or compromise the child's safety, an investigation, or the apprehension of a suspect, according to KTAR News. Gov. Katie Hobbs signed the bipartisan bill in June.
The same statute requires agencies to enter missing-child information into state and national databases within two hours and transmit details to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children within 24 hours, per ClearStatute. Those entries may not be removed until the child is found or the case is closed. Separately, under Suzanne's Law, a federal provision within Public Law 108-21, police must enter missing young adults aged 18 to 20 into the FBI's National Crime Information Center without delay, according to MissingKids.org.
About 200 Cases a Month, Department Says
Phoenix Police spokesperson Sgt. John Buchanan said the department fields roughly 200 missing juvenile reports each month, as reported by 12News. Department leaders have said the increased visibility of these posts reflects the new statutory mandate rather than a sudden spike in disappearances.
Standard missing or runaway reports do not trigger an AMBER Alert. The Arizona Department of Public Safety restricts those emergency alerts to confirmed abduction cases involving an imminent threat of serious bodily harm or death.
Anyone with information is asked to call Phoenix Police at 602-262-6151.
