COALMINE, Ariz. — The Navajo Police Department announced Friday that the search for missing 8-year-old Maleeka Boone in the Coalmine area has come to an end. Following a multi-agency investigation, the 8-year-old Diné child was found dead.
A Turquoise Alert for Maleeka Boone was issued at approximately 4:53 a.m. Friday by the Navajo Police Department and was later canceled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Maleeka was last seen on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at around 6:00 p.m., walking on foot near Cedar Loop in the Coalmine NHA housing area in Coalmine, Arizona, located on the Navajo Nation north of Flagstaff. Family members reported her missing after she failed to return home, stating that it was out of character for her to be gone for an extended period and that they were concerned about her welfare.
The investigation into Maleeka Boone’s disappearance continued Friday morning as volunteers from the Coalmine community gathered at the Coalmine Chapter House for search team briefings and assignments.
The Navajo Police Department Tuba City District led search efforts in the Coalmine Canyon area with assistance from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation.
Law enforcement officials confirmed that officers remain present in the Coalmine area as the investigation continues. Authorities implemented a lockdown of the area, asking residents to remain in their homes while investigative operations were underway.
The FBI established a command post in Coalmine to coordinate investigative efforts. Officials said details regarding Maleeka Boone’s last known movements, based on information from family members and community witnesses, remain under investigation.
The FBI told Mountain Daily Star, that the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office along with the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation are leading the investigation into the death of 8-year-old Maleeka “Mollie” Boone whose body was found and identified this afternoon in Coalmine, Arizona following a search that included agents, officers and deputies from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Flagstaff Police Department.
Anyone with information related to the case is urged to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov. Information may also be reported to the Navajo Police Department Tuba City District at 928-283-3111 or 928-283-3112.
Rest in Peace sweet child.
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