White Mountain Apache girl's death fuels concerns over missing persons protocol
Grieving family seeks justice for slain Challistia Colelay
Investigators are seeking the killer of 16-year-old Challistia Colelay, who was found dead near the Knott's Landing community in Whiteriver on Nov. 3. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean has more on what advocates and family members are questioning.
WHITERIVER, Ariz. - Investigators are seeking the killer of 16-year-old Challistia Colelay, who was found dead near the Knott's Landing community in Whiteriver on Nov. 3.
What we know:
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) confirmed the death of the White Mountain Apache girl is being investigated as a homicide. A memorial, including a stuffed animal, sits near the home of the teen, who was the youngest in her large family.
"Challistia was an amazing girl with a whole life ahead of her," said Leila Woodard, founder of the Arizona Missing Child Task Force. The Arizona Missing Child Task Force partners with three local nonprofits: Missing in America Network, Starbright Foundation and ASA Now.
Woodard has spent hours with the teen's grieving family, acting as a liaison to the public.
"This is something no family should ever experience," Woodard said. "The level of grief that they're experiencing, and shock, is real, you know, and they have lots of questions, like this was their baby girl."
Challistia's family said she went missing Oct. 16 after reportedly telling them she was going to visit a friend. "She did go to a friend's house, and they had contact with her and then that contact was gone," Woodard said.
Human remains found in Whiteriver identified as missing girl: family
Human remains found in the Knots Landing community in Whiteriver earlier in November have been identified as 16-year-old Challistia Colelay, her family says.
Dig deeper:
Although the family says a police report was filed, it never triggered a specific missing persons alert.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) told FOX 10 in a statement on Nov. 5 that it's unable to activate individual alerts or assess cases without initiation from a reporting agency. The statement noted that Nov. 5 was the first DPS had been made aware of the case but that Challistia had two prior missing person cases filed in October 2024.
FOX 10's calls to White Mountain Apache Police and the tribal council have been met with no comment.
'They're invisible and that needs to stop'
Woodard questioned the public awareness raised for Challistia's case, concerned that she may have been incorrectly labeled as a runaway. "I think that there's a lot of communities that aren't reporting their people missing and that's the first step is to make sure that everybody is being reported in the same way," Woodard said.
Woodard, who believes the term "runaway" should never be used in connection with missing children, added: "When a child leaves their house, this is a cry for help ... When a child walks out their door, we turn our heads to them. They're invisible and that needs to stop."
What you can do:
A GoFundMe has been established to help Challistia's family with burial expenses.
Anyone with information about the murder is asked to contact the BIA’s Missing and Murdered Unit hotline at 833-560-2065.