Maleeka Boone, an 8-year-old girl known to her loved ones as "Mollie," was a sweet child whose positive impact was felt by many people, near and far. A member of the Navajo Nation, she lived in the Coalmine Navajo Housing Authority area near Tuba City, Arizona. Her family described her as a happy girl with long, French-braided hair.
On the evening of January 15, 2026, Maleeka was playing outside on Cedar Loop within the housing area. Sometime between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., she left a relative's home to walk to another family member's house nearby, a short journey she would never complete. When she didn't arrive and could not be found, her family grew deeply concerned, knowing it was out of character for her to be gone for so long. They reported her missing, setting in motion a desperate search.
In the early hours of January 16, 2026, the Navajo Police Department issued a Turquoise Alert, a system designed for missing and endangered Indigenous people in Arizona.
The alert described Maleeka as a Native American child, 4 feet, 5 inches tall, with a light complexion and brown eyes, last seen wearing a red jacket, blue jeans, and cowboy boots. The search for Maleeka involved a massive, coordinated effort from the Navajo Police Department, the FBI, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, and the Flagstaff Police Department. Volunteers from the Coalmine community also joined, combing the area in hopes of finding the little girl.
The search came to a tragic end later that same day. Maleeka’s body was discovered in a field within the Coalmine area. The community was placed on lockdown as law enforcement secured the scene to conduct their investigation. The FBI established a command station in Coalmine, and the Turquoise Alert was canceled. Though authorities did not release specific details about the circumstances of her death, investigators and the FBI later indicated they suspected she had been struck and killed by a vehicle.
The investigation into Maleeka's death is being led by the FBI and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation. The loss devastated her family and the close-knit community. "This tragedy weighs heavy on my heart," Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said in a statement, offering condolences to her family. Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley also spoke to the profound grief, stating, "The loss of a child is especially heartbreaking, and during this time of grief, we call upon our relatives across the Navajo Nation to support one another in prayer." Local leaders worked to implement a healing plan centered on family and community support in the wake of the tragedy.
As of August 2026, Maleeka Boone's death remains an unsolved homicide. Her case is one of more than 50 unsolved homicides and missing-person cases in Indian Country that have received renewed attention under an FBI initiative called "Voices Not Forgotten." Through this program, the FBI increased the minimum reward for information in these cases. A reward of up to $25,000 is now offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for Maleeka's death. The FBI and the Navajo Police Department continue to ask for the public's help. Anyone with information is urged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Navajo Police Department Tuba City District at (928) 283-3111.
