Missing 8-year-old girl found dead less than 24 hours after disappearance; FBI investigating

COALMINE, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) — A young girl who went missing from the Navajo Nation on Thursday has been found dead.

According to the Navajo Police Department, the search for 8-year-old Maleeka “Mollie” Boone came to a tragic end Friday in northern Arizona.

The department didn’t release any further immediate information regarding the girl’s death, but said the FBI and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation are among those investigating.

Authorities said search efforts were focused in the Coalmine Canyon area and involved tribal law enforcement, the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Navajo police added that the Coalmine area was on lockdown until further notice and residents have been asked to remain in their homes during the investigation.

The FBI has also set up a command station in the area.

Boone was last seen playing around 6 p.m. Thursday near Cedar Loop in the Coalmine housing area, about 17 miles southeast of Tuba City.

The girl’s family said it was out of character for her to be gone for an extended period, and authorities issued a Turquoise Alert early Friday morning.

Anyone with information on the circumstances of her disappearance or death is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or the Navajo Police Department Tuba City District at 928-282-3111.