The night Challistia Colelay disappeared, something in the quiet streets of Whiteriver felt off.
Neighbors recalled unfamiliar vehicles moving slowly through the area, while others reported hearing brief commotion near the edge of the reservation. At the time, no one realized the significance. But after her body was discovered, those overlooked details became chilling reminders of missed warnings.
Arizona tribal authorities are investigating the suspicious death of 16-year-old Colelay, a White Mountain Apache teenager found dead just a week after going missing.
According to KTVK, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Indian Affairs division is treating her death as a homicide.
Colelay was first reported missing to the White Mountain Apache Tribal Police on October 27, but her case was never forwarded to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, likely because she had been categorized as a runaway. Her remains were discovered on November 3 within the Fort Apache Reservation, in a secluded area less than a mile from her home, as reported by KNXV.
“This absolutely breaks my heart because situations like this happen repeatedly,” said Darlene Gomez of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives. “If law enforcement had stronger policies and better training for handling cases labeled as runaways, tragedies like what happened to Tia could be prevented.”
Arizona DPS confirmed that no Turquoise Alert was issued because they never received a request from the tribal authorities. Colelay had been listed as missing twice before in the past year, and both cases had been closed.
Her family last saw her on October 16, when she said she planned to visit a friend. “She did go to her friend’s home, and they were in touch briefly — then all communication stopped,” said Leila Woodard, founder of the Arizona Missing Child Task Force.
Gomez highlighted two ongoing issues: chronic understaffing and insufficient funding for tribal police, and the harmful consequences of automatically labeling Indigenous children as runaways. “Once she was called a runaway, people assumed she wasn’t in danger,” Gomez said. “That misconception slows urgent response and can cost lives.”
Tribal officials have not released statements regarding the investigation. Authorities encourage anyone with information to contact the BIA MMU Hotline at 1-833-560-2065, email [email protected], or text BIAMMU followed by a tip to 847411.
✅ Conclusion
The tragic death of Challistia Colelay underscores persistent gaps in how missing Indigenous children are treated — from delayed alerts to underfunded resources and dangerous assumptions. As her community grieves, calls for accountability and reform grow louder, with the hope that her story will drive meaningful change and ensure every disappearance is treated with urgency and care.