An eight-year-old Indigenous girl has tragically been discovered dead on an Arizona reservation, just a day after she went missing while playing outdoors.

Maleeka ‘Mollie’ Boone was last seen on Thursday evening, enjoying time outside near Cedar Loop in the Coalmine NHA housing area within the Navajo Nation. Her disappearance triggered an urgent search effort involving multiple agencies.

The following day, on Friday, the Navajo Police Department delivered the heartbreaking news that Boone had been found deceased. This devastating outcome has prompted a thorough investigation involving the Navajo Police, the FBI, and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding her death.

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren expressed the profound sorrow felt by the community, stating, “To learn that this search has ended in loss is a pain beyond words.”

‘To learn that this search has ended in loss is a pain beyond words,’ Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said.

‘A loss of a child is one of the most painful tragedies a family and a nation can endure. As a father, this tragedy weighs heavily on my heart.’

A Turquoise Alert was issued for Boone just before 5am on Thursday. The alert system is designed to help locate missing people believed to be in danger, including members of the Indigenous community. 

Family members reported her missing after she failed to return home, something her loved ones said was out of character. 

Maleeka ‘Mollie’ Boone, 8, was found dead on an Arizona Native American reservation on Friday – just one day after she vanished while playing outside

Boone disappeared Thursday evening after she was last seen playing near Cedar Loop in the Coalmine NHA housing area on the Navajo Nation – the largest Indian reservation in the United States 

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren (pictured) called the discovery a ‘tragedy that weighs heavily on my heart’

Boone was last seen around 6pm, on foot and playing outside a residential community in the Coalmine Canyon area, roughly 17 miles southeast of Tuba City. 

Authorities launched an immediate search, drawing officers and deputies from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the US Marshals Service, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Flagstaff Police Department. 

The search carried on Friday morning, with Coalmine community volunteers gathering at the Coalmine Chapter House for team assignments and a briefing.   

Just hours later, the FBI called off the search as news came that Boone’s body had been found and identified in the Coalmine area.  

‘To preserve the integrity and capabilities of the investigation, the FBI does not share details of the ongoing process,’ the FBI wrote in a statement to the Navajo Times.

Officials said law enforcement will remain in Coalmine during the investigation, with the FBI setting up a command station as they seek more information about her death, according to the department press release.

The Navajo Police Department also announced that the area will remain ‘on lockdown’ until further notice and urged residents to remain inside their homes. 

‘In just the past few weeks, our nation has endured tremendous pain,’ President Nygren said in a social media video.

While details surrounding Boone’s death remain unclear, Navajo police, the FBI and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation have launched a joint investigation 

The search carried on Friday morning until the FBI called it off as news came that Boone’s body had been found and identified in the Coalmine area

‘These moments remind us just how sacred our children are and how deeply connected every life is within our Navajo community,’ he added. 

‘May we honor Maleeka’s spirit by cherishing and protecting every child across the Navajo Nation.’

Nygren expressed gratitude to the reservation police, county, state and federal agencies, and the Division of Children and Family Services – all of whom were on site with the family and community. 

‘My deepest condolences go out to her family, her loved ones and the entire Coalmine community who are grieving through this unimaginable time,’ he added.

Anyone with information about the case should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov. Tips may also be provided to the Navajo Police Department Tuba City District at 928-283-3111 or 928-283-3112.

At more than 27,000 square miles Navajo Nation is the US’ largest reservation.

Violence against Indigenous people remains alarmingly high, with Indigenous women in some US regions killed at rates up to 10 times the national average, according to the Urban Indian Health Institute. 

The Navajo Police Department announced that the area will remain ‘on lockdown’ until further notice and urged residents to remain inside their homes 

The discovery came just a day after a Turquoise Alert was issued for Boone – an alert system designed to help locate missing people believed to be in danger, including members of the Indigenous community

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) crisis casts a long shadow over the Navajo Nation, which spans parts of Arizona and Utah and is larger than 10 US states combined. 

The Navajo Police Department had previously published a list with photos of 70 missing individuals, including some who have been missing for decades, dating back to the 1970s. 

The Turquoise Alert system was created to help locate missing persons and address the historical fragmentation among tribal, state, and federal agencies that has left many cases unresolved and families left to search across the vast landscape.