Missing and overlooked: Black women and girls disappear at disproportionate rates

   July 1, 2026  87 Comments on Missing and overlooked: Black women and girls disappear at disproportionate rates  Posted in Children, Uncategorized, Unidentified Persons

The names Natalie Holloway, Gabby Petito and Elizabeth Smart became known across the country. 16-year-old Shemika Cosey did not.

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Author: Seen Them?

87 thoughts on “Missing and overlooked: Black women and girls disappear at disproportionate rates”

    1. Black people should have put together their own task force for missing people, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the police looking for our missing children and community members

  5. I work in social services and was working with a family who their 14 year old daughter went missing. The local police refused to do anything saying she was a runaway. The family was very poor. Even if she was a runaway she still needed help.

  7. My Sister Went Missing In The 1996. The Police Did Nothing Because She’s A Black Teen. They Said She was Just A Runaway. It’s BEEN 30 YEARS!!!! My Sister Has Never Been Seen Again 😢

    3. Black people should have put together their own task force for missing people, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the police looking for our missing children and community members

    5. 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I know it changes nothing, but I hate that for you. Utterly heartbreaking. I wish I could fix that for you; to find your sister🎀
      💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔I hate that for your mom & dad and your grandparents, too.
      Absolutely f’kn horrible😭💔😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

  8. I hope this woman finds her daughter and gets closure. It’s so sad and heartbreaking seeing parents’ emotional distress when their children go missing.

    1. Black people should have put together their own task force for missing people, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the police looking for our missing children and community members

    1. Black people should have put together their own task force for missing people, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the police looking for our missing children and community members

    1. Black people should have put together their own task force for missing people, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the police looking for our missing children and community members

    2. ​@Karsielatee The police don’t trust cases of missing and murdered Black women (MMBW) seriously, so you’re correct. We need to go back to community-based organizing and justice instead of depending on others to do it for us.

    3. ​@Karsielatee

      how about you take your own advice and do it. Since it’s easy and your making the claim not me. I might support the best way I know how and able to.

    1. But WE care about us. And we have some allies in every other community who care about doing what’s right. So we should work hard to solve our problems, someone mentioned starting a task force of our own. They have the “Ebony Alert” in California, maybe we could work to get something similar in more states – idk about that name though! It should be named after one of our sisters we lost or are still missing

    3. I’m a black homicide detective who doesn’t care about us I’ll tell you who don’t care about us is people that look like us you know how many missing persons and murders we can solve in this rat community if we got help from the people that live there no one wants to help us solve any crimes me as a homicide detective. I do a lot of private work now and I train around the country about a month ago up in Cleveland there was a murder in the hood and no one wanted to talk to us. No one over in Arizona in the black community young girl got kidnapped pretty much a lot of people know who did it and they didn’t even help the police. In about two months later, they solve the crime and if someone in that community with A communicated with us maybe that little girl would be alive today so go sit down the biggest enemy to Black people is Black people you don’t even care about your own. You destroy your community and get mad with law-enforcement. Can’t solve any crimes when this stuff happens in a Hispanic community everyone’s looking to help us solve the crime.

  14. Dannette Latonia Millbrook and Jeannette Latrice Millbrook, from Augusta, Georgia, disappeared on March 18, 1990 when they were 15 years old. Tiffany Elizabeth Nelson, a 9-year-old girl who went missing in Augusta, Georgia, in 1994, is a long-standing cold case that has been investigated as a homicide since her remains were discovered in 2005. Their cases are still unsolved.

    1. Always blaming “they “, LOL
      Instead of arguing about who’s the best rapper, gender wars and petty nonsense, Black people could/should use social media for important topics such as this

    2. ​​@OnceAgain-k8hAnother one of my fellow white people. That came into the replies. To harass people of color who know. That finding them is not important. Only white families are worthy of media coverage to find their loved ones. By admitting what you and I are well aware of. That racism is alive and well because you benefit from it. You of course are unwilling to make any changes. Because you want it to continue. Well I don’t and I am sure the heck not going to help you do it.

    4. Black people should have put together their own task force for missing people, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the police looking for our missing children and community members

  16. California has enacted The Ebony Alert which mostly focuses on BW and girls missing between the ages of 12-25. It has helped to get the message out more and it’s even gone out for BW missing in their late 20’s.When our girls go missing many police stations write them off as runaways.

    1. Has it helped? Has anyone been found? And how do you guys feel about the name “Ebony Alert” for children and young women? It seems a bit inappropriate, but I’m glad the initiative is going

    3. I live in California and have NEVER received an Ebony Alert. Only ones I’ve gotten are Silver alert (missing elderly) and of course the Amber Alerts. Like other comments say the name sounds racist. Wonder what they call the alert if Mexicans go missing🤔 Why do we need different alerts for different races

  17. Thank you so much for reporting on this. And thank you for reporting on the new task force as of 2025! This is the first I’ve heard about it.
    It’s nice to know there is still real journalism that cares about the people and will do the right thing. Maybe all hope isn’t lost.
    I hope Shameka Cosey and all other missing and murdered women and girls are found and they all receive the justice they deserve.

    1. Black people should have put together their own task force for missing people, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the police looking for our missing children and community members

  18. Here in Los Angeles county a 16 yr old teen was found dead on the side of a freeway she was a victim of human trafficking yet it didn’t matter because she was black she got hardly any news coverage 😢

    1. Black people should have put together their own task force for missing people, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the police looking for our missing children and community members

    1. Black people should have put together their own task force for missing people, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the police looking for our missing children and community members

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