Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP154613)
Mariah Gooden, a 17-year-old female, was reported missing after she was last seen on December 23, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. Publicly available information about the circumstances of her disappearance is limited, but the case was treated as a missing juvenile matter in a city where the Phoenix Police Department’s Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit is responsible for follow-up investigations into missing person reports.
That unit states that it handles thousands of missing person reports each year and works to determine that a reported missing person has not become the victim of foul play, while also ensuring that runaway juveniles are properly entered into NCIC and helping parents locate their children.
Because Mariah was a minor when she was last seen, the concern surrounding her disappearance would have carried particular urgency. In Phoenix, missing children and juveniles may involve several different investigative paths, depending on the facts known to law enforcement. The Phoenix Police Department explains that Amber Alerts are reserved for rare child-abduction circumstances and are not issued for every runaway, lost child, custodial matter, or missing child report. In cases that do not meet that threshold, the work can still involve checking reported leads, maintaining contact with family or guardians, confirming whether the child may be with known individuals, and coordinating with state or national missing-child resources when appropriate.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety notes that its missing children search page is not the originating source of case information and directs the public to contact the investigating agency for additional information about a missing person. That distinction matters in cases like Mariah’s, where public summaries may be brief and where the most accurate updates often come through the agency handling the report. Phoenix Police also directs anyone with tips or information about missing person cases to contact Crime Stop or the Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit, and it lists the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children among resources that may assist in missing person searches.
Official information now indicates that Mariah Gooden has been found alive, and her case is no longer an active missing persons case. The exact date and circumstances of her recovery have not been publicly detailed in the available information, so they should not be assumed. What can be said with care is that Mariah’s case began as the disappearance of a 17-year-old girl last seen in Phoenix on December 23, 2025, prompted concern for her safety, and ended with the most important outcome hoped for in any missing juvenile case: she was located alive.Last Seen: Dec 23, 2025
