PHOENIX - May 25 is National Missing Children’s Day. In 2015, U.S. law enforcement received over 460,000 reports of missing children.
In the state of Arizona, there are roughly 60 open missing persons cases involving children under the age of 17, according to the National Missing & Unidentified Persons System and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
These cases date back to 1959, though there may be more cases that missing persons reports were not filed for, either due to family remembers not reporting the child as missing or because of potentially lost case files.
One in every six of the current missing children reports in the Phoenix-metropolitan area describe circumstances in which a member of the child’s family is the likely abductor.
Jayson Pearce
Last seen on April 15, 1983 in Phoenix, Arizona, 1-year-old Jason Pearce was abducted by his non-custodial step-father. The man claimed he gave Jayson to an unknown family, but police never verified the story. Jayson would now be 34 years old.
Diego Hernandez
Diego Hernandez, of Tempe, Arizona, was 1 year old at the time of his disappearance on May 11, 2011. Law enforcement believes his father took him and may have traveled to Cancun.
Sophia Larranaga
Now 19 years old, Sophia Larranaga is believed to have traveled to Sinaloa, Mexico, in the company of her mother. The 1-year-old was last seen in Tempe, Arizona, on Feb. 11, 1998.
Natasha Corley
Natasha Corley was allegedly abducted by her mother, Anabel Allende, when she was 1 year old from Scottsdale, Arizona, on August 28, 2006. Authorities believe they may have traveled to Mexico and that Natasha may use Allende as her last name. Corley is now 11 years old. A federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued for Allende one year later.
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Samuel Robinson
Samuel Robinson was last seen Sept. 30, 2006 in Phoenix, Arizona, Alma Robinson, Samuel’s mother, allegedly abducted the 1-year-old. Authorities believe Alma and the now 10-year-old Samuel may still in the local area or they may have traveled to Las Vegas or Mexico.
Christian and Leonardo Diaz-Borjas
Brothers Christian and Leonardo Diaz-Borjas went missing from Phoenix, Arizona on March 25, 2005. It is believed that the then 3-year-old Christian and 4-year-old Leonardo were abducted by their father, Pedro Diaz-Roman. A felony warrant for kidnapping was issued for Diaz-Roman. Authorities believe he may have taken the boys to Mexico.
Yareli Barajas
According to law enforcement officials, Yareli Barajas, now 19 years old, left her Phoenix home with an adult connected to her family on Aug. 11, 2009. They likely went to Mexico.
Jhessye Shockley
Murdered by her mother, 5-year-old Jhessye Shockley was last seen on Oct. 11, 2011. Her mother, Jerice Hunter, was convicted of killing Jhessye, though her body has never been found.
Gabriel Johnson
“Baby Gabriel” Johnson was abducted by his mother on Dec. 27, 2009. Investigators reported that Johnson took the child from Arizona to Texas, then left a week later on a bus to Florida without Gabriel. She had originally texted Gabriel’s father saying she’d killed the baby, but later recanted and said she gave him to a couple at a park in San Antonio. Baby Gabriel, who would now be 7 years old, is still missing.
