An Arizona teenager has gone missing after failing to return home after school.
On Friday, Jan. 30, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) issued an urgent plea for public assistance in locating Laila Champagne Garcia, 16, of Mesa.
Garcia was reported missing on Tuesday, Jan. 27, after she failed to return home from Red Mountain High School the day before. Authorities reported that she was last seen at the school on January 26.
“Laila is a student at Red Mountain High School and was last seen at school on January 26th,” according to officials.
Garcia is described as a Hispanic female who is a little over 5 feet tall and weighs approximately 100 pounds. Police reported that the woman has black hair and brown eyes.
Investigators stated that they do not know what Garcia was wearing when she disappeared and have not confirmed her location.
Red Mountain High School and Mesa Public Schools have not issued any public statements addressing the case.
Representatives from the MCSO and Mesa Public Schools did not reply to requests for comment on Saturday, January 31.
Garcia’s disappearance coincides with broader worries about missing-person cases in Arizona. According to The Travel, Arizona has the second-highest number of missing individuals per capita, and a live tracker shows that approximately 1,099 people are now reported as missing in the state.
Leave a Reply