Nationwide — Joniah Walker, an African American teen from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who disappeared when she was 15 years old, was found safe four years later after going missing from her home. Police confirmed she was found on May 25, four years later.
Walker went missing on June 23, 2022, after last being seen at her family’s home in Milwaukee. Her mother, Tanesha Howard, said Joniah was lying in bed that morning after finishing school when she left for work, as reported by the New York Post.
Howard said she spoke with her daughter several times during the day, but the calls suddenly stopped. Later, Walker failed to meet her father for a planned appointment to apply for a summer work permit, which immediately raised concern.
A doorbell camera later captured Walker leaving an apartment complex around 2:30 p.m. in Milwaukee’s Brewer’s Hill neighborhood, just north of downtown. She was seen carrying a large green backpack, which became the last confirmed image of her at the time.
After that, the family feared something serious had happened. Howard said she believed her daughter may have been influenced by someone she met online, especially after noticing changes in her daughter’s digital activity before she disappeared.
“Somebody stole her… that was my first instinct,” Howard said. “But when I saw that she left with a big backpack that I had never seen, that’s when I knew. I was like, someone lured her away.”
Search efforts continued for years, with Howard regularly appealing to the public for help and urging her daughter to come home.
Walker’s disappearance also drew attention in Wisconsin, becoming part of broader advocacy efforts focused on missing African American women and girls. State Rep. Shelia Stubbs supported calls for greater awareness and pushed for a task force addressing similar cases.
Police have not released details about where Walker was found or who she may have been with. Authorities only confirmed that she was located safely in May. The family has asked for privacy as they adjust to her return after four years.