Current:Home > Stocks13-year-old walked away from his mom at Arizona car wash. A month later, he's still missing. -Trailblazer Wealth Guides
13-year-old walked away from his mom at Arizona car wash. A month later, he's still missing.
View
Date:2025-04-13 23:03:03
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! (83194)
Related
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- As Maduro shifts from migration denier to defender, Venezuelans consider leaving if he is reelected
- New Orleans mystery: Human skull padlocked to a dumbbell is pulled out of water by a fisherman
- The Best Transfer-Proof Body Shimmers for Glowy, Radiant Skin
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- Riley Keough, Lily Gladstone on gut-wrenching 'Under the Bridge' finale, 'terrifying' bullying
- What are leaking underground storage tanks and how are they being cleaned up?
- How a lost credit card and $7 cheeseburger reignited California’s debate over excessive bail
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Oilers roar back, score 5 unanswered goals to tie conference finals with Stars 2-2
Ranking
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Medical pot user who lost job after drug test takes case over unemployment to Vermont Supreme Court
- The art of drag is a target. With Pride Month near, performers are organizing to fight back
- Michigan State Police trooper charged with murder, accused of hitting man with car during chase
- 'Most Whopper
- West Virginia’s first ombudsman for state’s heavily burdened foster care system resigns
- Yellowstone's Ryan Bingham Marries Costar Hassie Harrison in Western-Themed Wedding
- Researchers find a tiny organism has the power to reduce a persistent greenhouse gas in farm fields
Recommendation
Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
Thunder GM Sam Presti 'missed' on Gordon Hayward trade: 'That's on me'
Ryan Reynolds Details How Anxiety Helps Him as a Dad to His and Blake Lively’s Kids
Kelly Hyland Receives Support From Dance Moms Stars After Sharing Breast Cancer Diagnosis
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
'Moana 2' trailer: Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson set sail in Disney sequel
The Beatles' 'Love' closes July 6. Why Ringo Starr says 'it’s worth seeing' while you can
Noose used in largest mass execution in US history will be returned to a Dakota tribe in Minnesota