An 8-year-old girl who had gone missing on tribal lands in northern Arizona was tragically found deceased, as announced by authorities on Friday, January 16.
The girl, identified as Maleeka Boone, was last seen on Thursday evening in the Coalmine Canyon area, situated 240 miles north of Phoenix in the United States, according to Navajo Nation officials.
While the FBI, in collaboration with tribal police, is leading the investigation, no specific details regarding her death have been disclosed by the FBI spokesperson. Efforts to obtain further information from a tribal police representative by the Associated Press were unsuccessful.
In a social media address, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren expressed profound sorrow over Maleeka’s passing, stating, “This tragedy deeply saddens me.”
Following her disappearance, a Turquoise Alert was issued, a specialized alert system designed for missing Native Americans.
The alert system in Arizona, known as “Emily’s Law,” was established to honor Emily Pike, whose remains were discovered on February 14 over 100 miles away from the group home she had departed in Mesa, Arizona.
Emily Pike’s case sparked increased advocacy efforts to raise awareness about the high number of disappearances and violent deaths affecting Native American communities over the years. Consequently, lawmakers amended the bill in recognition of her, aiming to address these long-standing issues.
(REWRITE COMPLETE)
