The FBI has announced a $25,000 reward for information related to the tragic death of 8-year-old Maleeka Boone, whose body was discovered earlier this month in Arizona.

The investigation is being spearheaded by the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office in collaboration with the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation. They are being supported by local and state law enforcement agencies as they work to uncover the circumstances surrounding the young girl’s death.

As previously covered by CrimeOnline, Maleeka was reported missing from the Coalmine Navajo Housing Authority near Tuba City, and her body was found on January 16 following an extensive search.

In response to her disappearance, authorities issued a Turquoise Alert, also referred to as “Emily’s Law,” which is used in cases involving missing Indigenous individuals under suspicious or unexplained circumstances.

The Navajo police reported that Maleeka’s family became alarmed when she was absent for an unusually long time, which was not typical behavior for her.

According to the FBI, Maleeka left a family member’s home at around 4:15 p.m. to return to her own residence.

“Both residents are in the same neighborhood and in close proximity to each other,” the FBI said.

That same afternoon, police found her deceased in a field near Coalmine, but so far, it’s unclear if foul play is suspected.

“This is our first tragedy that has come from a Turquoise Alert,” Rhonda Dequier, founder of the Missing in America Network, told FOX 10.

Anyone with information about Mollie’s case should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or online at tips.fbi.gov. Tispters can also contact the Navajo Police Department, Tuba City District, at 928-283-3111 or 928-283-3112.

[Feature Photo via the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigation]