Current:Home > Invest13-year-old walked away from his mom at Arizona car wash. A month later, he's still missing. -Secure Horizon Growth
13-year-old walked away from his mom at Arizona car wash. A month later, he's still missing.
View
Date:2025-04-13 16:52:07
It has been over a month since a 13-year-old boy walked away from his mom at an Arizona car wash as local authorities continue a fervent search for the missing teen who has little familiarity with the area.
Elijah Gumbus has been missing since Aug. 31 and surveillance footage from the Weiss Guys Car Wash in Maricopa County, which USA TODAY obtained, shows the moments leading up to his disappearance. The boy, who is wearing a red shirt in the video, is seen hopping out of his mother's car and jogging west.
Elijah's mother can be heard in the footage calling out his name multiple times before the video cuts off.
“There's a lot of areas there that he could have either met with somebody or taken off or hid or something like that, but at the moment, that's the only information that we had and the only surveillance that we had in the area that was able to pick him up in a direction of travel," Tolleson police Lt. Lee Garrett told KPNX.
USA TODAY contacted Tolleson police on Wednesday but has not yet received a response.
'We're extremely concerned'
As the search continues for Elijah, Garrett said the department has a "detective that is 100% dedicated to just this case at this point," KPNX reported.
“We're extremely concerned," the lieutenant said. "We're very involved."
At the time of Elijah's disappearance, his mother was driving from California to Louisiana for her work, according to Garrett, per the Arizona-based TV station. The mother and son stopped at the car wash, and while she was cleaning the vehicle, Elijah jogged away, the lieutenant said.
Neither Elijah nor his mother have ties to Arizona, which makes this case even more problematic and worrisome, Garrett told KPNX. There have been custody issues between Elijah's father and mother, but neither live in Arizona, and police have confirmed that the child is not with either of them, the TV station reported.
“What's most concerning is his age and the fact that he doesn't have ties to Arizona or any family here. We don't know how he would have connected with somebody here, or if he just simply ran away,” according to Garrett. “He's not a very big kid, so he's somebody that would stand out. He's got a very young face. So we're hoping that somebody will see this and realize that if he's on the streets, or if he's with somebody he shouldn't then they will call 911 immediately.”
Anyone with information about Elijah's whereabouts can contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or Tolleson police at 1-623-936-7186.
veryGood! (57336)
Related
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Baltimore channel fully reopened for transit over 2 months after Key Bridge collapse
- Hayley Kiyoko Talks Self-Love, Pride, And Her Size-Inclusive Swimwear Collab With Kitty & Vibe
- The networks should diversify NBA play-by-play ranks with a smart choice: Gus Johnson
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- $552 million Mega Millions jackpot claimed in Illinois; winner plans to support mom
- King Charles III painting vandalized by animal rights activists
- TikToker Miranda Derrick Says Her Life Is In Danger After Dancing for the Devil Cult Allegations
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Why Bachelor's Joey Graziadei & Kelsey Anderson Have Been Living With 2 Roommates Since Show Ended
Ranking
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- Biden weighs move to unlock legal status for some unauthorized immigrants
- A New York county with one of the nation’s largest police forces is deputizing armed residents
- North Carolina State channeling Jim Valvano all the way to College World Series
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Missouri man set to be executed for ex-lover's murder says he didn't do it
- President offers love and pride for his son’s addiction recovery after Hunter Biden’s guilty verdict
- Singer sues hospital, says staff thought he was mentally ill and wasn’t member of Four Tops
Recommendation
Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
Gayle King Shares TMI Confession About Oprah's Recent Hospitalization
Four Connecticut campaign workers charged with mishandling absentee ballots in 2019 mayoral primary
Biden and gun-control advocates want to flip an issue long dominated by the NRA
Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
California socialite gets 15 to life for 2020 hit-and-run deaths of two young brothers
Gabby Petito Pleads With Brian Laundrie in Gut-Wrenching Letter Released by FBI
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Moleskin