Current:Home > reviews13-year-old walked away from his mom at Arizona car wash. A month later, he's still missing. -TradeStation
13-year-old walked away from his mom at Arizona car wash. A month later, he's still missing.
View
Date:2025-04-27 19:41:16
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! (219)
Related
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Suni Lee, Olympic gymnastics champion, competing at Winter Cup. Here's how to watch.
- Manhunt underway after subway rider fatally attacked on train in the Bronx
- State police: Officers shoot, kill man who fired at them during domestic violence call
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Trump says he strongly supports availability of IVF after Alabama Supreme Court ruling
- At 99, this amazing Holocaust survivor and musician is still beating the drum for peace
- Dolly Parton praises Beyoncé after Texas Hold 'Em reaches No. 1 on Billboard hot country songs chart
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Vanessa Hudgens, Cole Tucker & More Couples Who Proved Love Is the Real Prize at the SAG Awards
Ranking
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Simone Biles is not competing at Winter Cup gymnastics meet. Here's why.
- Police: 7 farmworkers in van, 1 pickup driver killed in head-on crash in California farming region
- Trump enters South Carolina’s Republican primary looking to embarrass Haley in her home state
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Embattled superintendent overseeing Las Vegas-area public schools steps down
- Federal judge grants injunction in Tennessee lawsuit against the NCAA which freezes NIL rules
- Killing of nursing student out for a run underscores fears of solo female athletes
Recommendation
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
Vigil held for nonbinary Oklahoma teenager who died following a school bathroom fight
Trump enters South Carolina’s Republican primary looking to embarrass Haley in her home state
Dancing With the Stars' Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson Detail Son's Bond With Maks' Kids
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
More than 100,000 biometric gun safes recalled for serious injury risk
Judge rules against NCAA, says NIL compensation rules likely violate antitrust law, harm athletes
Charles Barkley and Gayle King were right to call out Nikki Haley over racism claim