Seventeen-year-old Dawnyelle Carter was publicly reported as missing from Wichita, Kansas, with one missing-child alert stating that she was last seen on December 31, 2025. The available public record gives only a limited picture of the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, but the details that are listed are still deeply important: Dawnyelle is identified as a Black female, 17 years old, with black hair and brown eyes, and her missing-from location is Wichita, Kansas, in the United
States. The same alert asks the public to come forward with any information about her whereabouts, emphasizing that even a small detail could matter in helping authorities understand what happened and where she may be.
The public information about Dawnyelle’s case does not describe where in Wichita she was last seen, who she may have been with, what she was wearing, or the circumstances that led to concern for her safety. That absence of detail leaves much of her story painfully unfinished. What is clear from the available alert is that Dawnyelle was a teenager when she disappeared, and that the appeal for information was directed not only to people who might have seen her, but also to anyone who might know something that could help investigators. In missing-child cases, especially those with sparse public information, the timeline can remain frustratingly incomplete, and families and communities are left waiting for answers while hoping that someone recognizes a name, a face, or a detail and reaches out.
The listed contact agencies for information about Dawnyelle include the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST and the Wichita Police Department at 1-316-268-4111. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s missing-persons page describes the broader purpose of public missing-person information as helping law enforcement, families, missing-children agencies, and others seeking to locate loved ones, with the stated goal of resolving missing and unidentified person cases. In Sedgwick County, where Wichita is located, the Exploited and Missing Child Unit is described as a specialized effort involving investigators from the Wichita Police Department, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, and social workers from the Kansas Department for Children and Families, working on cases involving missing and abducted children, child abuse, internet exploitation, and crimes against children.
Dawnyelle’s case exists within a city and region where missing-person investigations depend heavily on timely information, witness cooperation, and continued public attention. The Wichita Police Department’s Cold Case Unit states that it remains committed to investigating unsolved homicides and missing-person cases, and that unresolved cases should not be forgotten; while Dawnyelle’s case is not described in the available sources as a cold case, that public commitment reflects the larger reality that missing-person cases often require persistence long after the first alert is shared. For Dawnyelle Carter, the publicly available story begins with a 17-year-old girl missing from Wichita after being last seen on December 31, 2025, continues through a plea for anyone with information to contact authorities, and remains, based on the available online sources reviewed here, a case defined by limited public details, concern for her safety, and the hope that one piece of information may help bring clarity and resolution.Last Seen: Dec 31, 2025
