Seventeen-year-old Alexis Shears was last seen in Knoxville, Tennessee, on January 24, 2026, after leaving a West Knoxville residence with 15-year-old Eulanda Mitchelle. The two girls reportedly climbed through a window and walked away from the home, with their last known movements placing them near Bearden Middle School in the Francis Road and Dick Lonas Drive area. Public reporting described Alexis as approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing about 180 pounds.
What began as an evening departure soon became a deeply concerning missing-person investigation, as Alexis’s family and law enforcement were left without a confirmed explanation of where she intended to go, whether transportation had been arranged, or what happened after she and Eulanda left the neighborhood on foot.
The Knoxville Police Department became involved in the search, while East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers distributed information about both teenagers and appealed to the public for assistance. Investigators sought information from anyone who had been in the Bearden area, particularly around Francis Road and Dick Lonas Drive, or who might have seen the girls walking, entering a vehicle, visiting a residence, or communicating with someone after they disappeared. Because the available public information did not establish their destination or explain why they left, even observations that initially seemed unimportant could have helped investigators reconstruct the hours following their departure. The uncertainty was especially painful because both girls were minors whose access to safe shelter, transportation, food, and responsible adult supervision could not be confirmed.
The search later produced a bittersweet development when Eulanda was safely located in Oak Ridge. Her recovery brought relief to her loved ones and to the community members who had followed the search, but it did not end the concern surrounding Alexis. Authorities reported that Alexis remained missing after Eulanda was found, leaving investigators and Alexis’s family still searching for answers. Publicly available information has not clearly explained whether the girls remained together throughout their absence, when they may have separated, how Eulanda reached Oak Ridge, or whether the circumstances of her recovery provided investigators with additional information about Alexis’s whereabouts. Those unanswered questions are important, but they should not be filled with speculation while the effort to locate Alexis continues.
Anyone with reliable information about Alexis’s movements after January 24, her possible destination, people she may have contacted, or places where she may have stayed was urged to report it directly to law enforcement or East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers has accepted information by telephone at 865-215-7165, by text using “ETTIPS” to 738477, through the P3 Tips mobile application, and through its online tip system, with anonymous reporting available. Anyone who sees Alexis or believes she is in immediate danger should contact 911 rather than attempting to intervene independently. The case remains the story of a 17-year-old girl who left a Knoxville residence with another teenager, disappeared from the Bearden area on January 24, 2026, and remained unaccounted for even after her companion was safely found in Oak Ridge—a hopeful development for one family, but a painful reminder that Alexis’s loved ones still need credible information that can bring her home safely.Last Seen: Jan 24, 2026
