Federal and tribal authorities are investigating the death of an 8-year-old girl whose body was found Friday on the Navajo Nation, less than 24 hours after she was reported missing from her home.
Maleeka “Mollie” Boone was last seen between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday while playing near the Coalmine Navajo Housing Authority area, about 17 miles southeast of Tuba City. When she did not return home, her family notified authorities, saying the disappearance was “out of character” for the child.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety issued a Turquoise Alert early Friday after investigators determined Boone had vanished under “unexplained or suspicious circumstances.” The alert system is designed to provide rapid public notification for missing or endangered Indigenous people in Arizona.
A large search effort followed, involving the Navajo Police Department, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and local volunteers. The FBI’s Phoenix Field Office confirmed Friday afternoon that Boone’s body had been located and identified in the Coalmine Canyon area.
After the discovery, Navajo police placed the Coalmine community on a temporary lockdown, asking residents to remain in their homes while federal agents processed the scene. The FBI later established a command post in the area and is leading the criminal investigation with the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren described the death as “devastating” in a video statement released over the weekend.
“The loss of a child is one of the worst tragedies a family, and a nation, can endure,” Nygren said.
As of Tuesday, authorities had not released a cause of death or identified any suspects. The FBI said it is withholding additional details to protect the integrity of the investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI or the Navajo Police Department’s Tuba City District at 928-283-3111.