Yareli Marlem Barajas Missing Person Case

Jan 24, 2026

Jan 24, 2026

Yareli

Marlem Barajas

29

12

5'0 - 5'5 inches

105 lbs

Hispanic

Female

On a summer day in Phoenix, Arizona, the life of a young girl was forever altered. Twelve-year-old Yareli Marlem Barajas, a Hispanic female with brown eyes and black hair, was last seen on August 11, 2009. At the time of her disappearance, she stood between 5'0" and 5'5" tall and weighed around 105 to 120 pounds. Notable identifying characteristics included pierced ears and scars on her right hand. Yareli vanished from the vicinity of 4500 W. Indian School Road, marking the beginning of a long and troubling case that would leave her loved ones searching for answers for many years to come. The circumstances surrounding Yareli's disappearance pointed not to a stranger, but to someone within her own family. Investigators classified her case as a family abduction, alleging that she was taken by her non-custodial uncle, Jonathan Hernandez-Guerrero. Authorities believed it was possible that Hernandez-Guerrero had taken Yareli across the border into Mexico, or perhaps even to Canada. Despite the gravity of the situation, a felony warrant for kidnapping was not issued for him until June 18, 2018, nearly a decade after Yareli was last seen. The Phoenix Police Department and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children have been involved in the investigation, handling the case that crossed international borders and spanned many years. For years, Yareli's case remained active, a painful and unresolved chapter for her family. Information about her disappearance was shared by multiple agencies in the hope of generating new leads. The current public status of her case contains some ambiguity; it has been reported that her file was removed from the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), though the exact date and reason for this removal are not publicly known. This has left the final resolution of her case unclear. Overall, the case of Yareli Marlem Barajas is a heartbreaking story of a young girl who disappeared from her community, allegedly taken by a relative. The significant delay in the issuance of a kidnapping warrant and the international dimension of the case presented substantial challenges to the investigation, leaving a lingering uncertainty surrounding her ultimate fate and whereabouts. 411 GINA, "Missing: Yareli Marlem Barajas," accessed August 2024. Silent Witness, "Missing Person – Suspicious Circumstances / Yareli Marlem Barajas / 4500 W Indian School Road," accessed August 2024. Doe Network, "Located & Identified Persons," accessed August 2024. Uncovered, "Missing: Yareli Barajas | Phoenix, AZ," last updated November 13, 2022.

Aug 11, 2009

Phoenix

Arizona

Phoenix

Phoenix Police Departmen

602-262-6151

08/19/2026