The body of an eight-year-old Indigenous girl has been found on a vast Arizona reservation, just one day after she disappeared while playing outside her home. The discovery has plunged the Navajo Nation into mourning and triggered a major joint investigation.
Community Search Ends in Tragedy
Maleeka 'Mollie' Boone was last seen alive around 6pm on Thursday, playing on foot near Cedar Loop in the Coalmine NHA housing area. The location is within the Coalmine Canyon region, approximately 17 miles southeast of Tuba City on the Navajo Nation, the largest Indian reservation in the United States.
After she failed to return home, an action her family described as completely out of character, loved ones reported her missing. Authorities swiftly issued a Turquoise Alert just before 5am on Friday. This specific alert system is designed to help locate missing individuals, particularly from Indigenous communities, who are believed to be in imminent danger.
Multi-Agency Response and Investigation
An extensive search operation was immediately launched, drawing resources from the Navajo Police Department, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the US Marshals Service, and local sheriff and police departments. Volunteers from the Coalmine community also assembled to assist.
Despite these efforts, the search ended in tragedy on Friday when Mollie's body was found and identified in the Coalmine area. The FBI subsequently called off the active search. In a statement, the FBI noted it would not share details of the ongoing process to preserve the investigation's integrity.
A joint investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death is now being conducted by the Navajo Police Department, the FBI, and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation. Law enforcement has established a command station in the area, which will remain on lockdown for the time being, with residents urged to stay indoors.
A Nation in Mourning
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren expressed profound grief, stating the loss was "a pain beyond words." He emphasised the sacredness of children within the Navajo community and extended his deepest condolences to Mollie's family and the Coalmine community.
This heartbreaking incident casts a renewed spotlight on the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR). Violence against Indigenous people remains disproportionately high, with Indigenous women in some regions killed at rates up to ten times the national average. The Turquoise Alert system itself was created to address historical coordination gaps between tribal, state, and federal agencies in such cases.
Authorities are appealing for information. Anyone with details should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov. Tips can also be provided to the Navajo Police Department Tuba City District.
