Elijah Ari Carter was 15 when he was last in contact on November 2, 2023, in Waynesboro, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. He is described as a Black male with thick, bushy short-to-medium black hair and brown eyes, about 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 5 inches tall and 110 to 120 pounds. Elijah was reportedly wearing gray sweatpants and a gray hooded sweatshirt with a red heart on the back and large, thick-framed sporty glasses that looked like sunglasses or protective splash-guard eyewear.

The disappearance was reported to the Waynesboro Police Department on November 3, 2023, and assigned case number WPD-202310581; the case is also in NamUs as MP111231. No vehicle or confirmed destination has been publicly linked to his movements, and authorities have not publicly identified evidence of an abduction, named a suspect, or announced that criminal activity was involved. A DNA reference sample was collected from a hat.

Anyone who saw Elijah in Waynesboro on or after November 2, 2023, who noticed the gray clothing with the red heart, the distinctive glasses, who saw him with someone, or who has other firsthand information is asked to contact the Waynesboro Police Department at 717-762-2132.