The South Salt Lake Police Department shared a Facebook post.
How Missing-Person Cases Are Handled
The Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communications Center is a regional dispatch hub that handles non-emergency police calls for multiple agencies across Salt Lake County. Its non-emergency contact number is 801-840-4000, according to the Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communications Center.
Utah Code § 53-10-1002 permits an AMBER Alert for a reported runaway when investigators confirm a credible threat of imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death, according to the Utah State Legislature. When a missing juvenile case does not meet that bar, agencies can instead request an Endangered Missing Advisory through the Utah Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Criminal Identification to alert regional media and law enforcement, as outlined by the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification.
No Waiting Period for Missing Children
Despite a common misconception that police wait 24 hours before acting on a missing child report, no such waiting period exists. Under the federal National Child Search Assistance Act and Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification regulations, agencies must accept missing child reports immediately and enter missing-child information into the FBI's National Crime Information Center database immediately, according to the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification.
Separately, Utah law also addresses adults who may come into contact with a runaway minor. Under Utah Code § 80-5-601, an adult who knowingly shelters or harbors a runaway minor must notify the child’s parent, a youth services center, or law enforcement within 48 hours, according to the Utah State Legislature.
Missing-Child Cases
Runaway cases are far from rare, and national data suggests most are resolved quickly. Of the nearly 29,000 missing child reports received nationwide in 2023, 93% involved endangered runaways, and 48% were recovered within a week, according to MissingKids.org. In 2025, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children assisted with 32,167 missing child cases nationwide, 92% of which involved runaways.
South Salt Lake has seen several similar cases in recent months. Earlier this month, the department sought help locating 16-year-old runaway Jalissa Rae Lautaima. In August, police put out a bulletin for 25-year-old Kyle Cutolo. And in December 2025, a missing 12-year-old girl and her 14-year-old companion were located safe shortly after being reported missing and designated as endangered youth.
