An eight year old girl who went missing on tribal lands in northern Arizona has been found dead.
Officials from the Navajo Nation say Maleeka Boone was last seen Thursday evening in the Coalmine Canyon area, situated 240 miles north of Phoenix in the United States.
An FBI spokesperson, working alongside tribal police on the investigation, refused to disclose details surrounding her death. The Associated Press has contacted a tribal police spokesperson for comment.
In a video posted on social media, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren described Maleeka’s death as devastating. “This tragedy weighs heavy on my heart,” Nygren said.
Her disappearance prompted the issuing of a Turquoise Alert, a notification system for Native Americans who have gone missing.
In Arizona, the legislation establishing the alert was dubbed “Emily’s Law” in honour of Emily Pike, whose remains were discovered on February 14 more than 100 miles (161 kilometres) from a group home she had left in Mesa, Arizona.
Pike’s death sparked renewed activism seeking to highlight the disproportionate number of disappearances and violent deaths afflicting Native American communities for decades, and encouraged lawmakers to amend the bill in her memory.
