The investigation into the death of 8-year-old Maleeka “Mollie” Boone, who went missing in January, continues
Credit: FBI
NEED TO KNOW
- 8-year-old Maleeka “Mollie” Boone was found dead after going missing in Arizona in January
- Officials now believe that Boone died as the result of a hit-and-run accident
- At this time, the FBI and the Navajo Police Department of Arizona do not suspect her death was intentional
Authorities have announced that an 8-year-old Navajo girl who was found dead after going missing in Arizona last month may have been hit by a car.
In a Wednesday, Feb. 25, statement, the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office and the Navajo Nation Police Department said Maleeka “Mollie” Boone was likely struck by a passing vehicle on the evening of Jan. 15.
At this time, investigators do not believe her death was intentional, with officials adding that “the driver of a larger vehicle, possibly a pickup truck, may have struck Boone without realizing it.”
Boone was last seen playing in her neighborhood in Coalmine on the Navajo Nation late in the afternoon on Jan. 15. At approximately 6:00 p.m. that same day, she was reported missing.
A Turquoise Alert — a rapid public notification system in Arizona for missing or endangered individuals under 65, including tribal members — was issued following her disappearance.
In the alert, she was described as “a Native American female, 4 feet 5 inches tall, 50 lbs., with brown eyes and long, brown hair with French braids on both sides,” who was last seen wearing a “red jacket, blue jeans and cowboy boots.”
Her body was discovered at approximately 8:30 a.m. the following day, Jan. 16, in a field within the Coalmine Navajo Housing Authority neighborhood, and officials placed the Coalmine area “on lockdown until further notice.”
Residents were “asked to remain within their home area” as law enforcement conducted “further investigation.”
“The FBI has set up a command station in Coalmine … and a search continues for any information. Details of when Maleeka Boone was last seen from her family and community members [are] still under investigation,” the Navajo Police Department said.
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More than a month after her death, authorities are asking anyone who may have information about vehicles that traveled along Cedar Loop Road within the Coalmine Navajo Housing Authority between 5:50 p.m. and 6:20 p.m. on Jan. 15, 2026 to come forward.
On Thursday, Feb. 26, WAFB reported that there is a $25,000 reward being offered by the FBI for information on her death.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information about this case or about a vehicle traveling in the area during that time is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
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