Ja’niyah Aubrielle Mcmichael, 13, was reported missing by her mother from her home in the 1900 block of Malcolm X Boulevard in Gary, Indiana on August 12, 2024. She was last seen at home wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pajama pants, and red and black shoes. Ja’niyah is biracial, with black hair and brown eyes, about 5 feet 0 inches tall and roughly 110 pounds. She had ties to both Gary and East Chicago and may have had connections in the Chicago, Illinois area.

The Gary Police Department worked with the FBI and the Department of Child Services after her disappearance; an Indiana Silver Alert was issued on September 5, 2024. Investigators later began to suspect foul play and executed a court-approved search warrant in October 2024; details of that search have been withheld. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has been involved. Ja’niyah’s family has kept the case in the public eye with events and outreach, and a reward has grown from $20,000 to $30,000 for information leading to her return and to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible. If anyone has information about Ja’niyah’s whereabouts or saw her in August 2024, please come forward to official investigators.