Authorities believe 8-year-old Maleeka Boone was struck by vehicle in Coalmine area
WINDOW ROCK
Federal and tribal authorities are asking for the public’s help as investigators work to determine what happened to 8-year-old Maleeka “Mullie” Boone, whose death last month is now believed to have involved a vehicle.
According to the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office and the Navajo Nation Police Department, recent investigative developments indicate Boone was likely struck by a passing motorist on the evening of Jan. 15, 2026. Investigators say the driver may not have realized the child had been hit.
Authorities believe the vehicle involved may have been a larger vehicle, possibly a pickup truck, traveling through the Coalmine Navajo Housing Authority neighborhood in Coalmine, Arizona.
Boone was reported missing at about 6 p.m. Jan. 15 after she did not return home. Officials said she had been playing in her neighborhood late that afternoon and was walking home when investigators believe she was struck.
Her body was discovered the next morning at about 8:30 a.m. Jan. 16 in a nearby field within the Coalmine housing area.
Investigators are now focusing on a specific timeframe and location. Authorities are asking anyone who may have seen vehicles traveling along Cedar Loop Road in the Coalmine Navajo Housing Authority area between 5:50 p.m. and 6:20 p.m. that evening to come forward.
The FBI and Navajo Nation police said information from residents, motorists or anyone who was in the area could be critical to identifying the vehicle involved and determining what occurred.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Officials said the investigation remains active.
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