National Missing Children’s Day: Find Missing Maryland Kids

Every 40 seconds, the time it takes to heat up a slice of pizza in the microwave, a child is reported missing somewhere in America. Some are runaways, but others are abducted. Most have come home alive, due in part to efforts like those taking place on Friday, May 25.

National Missing Children’s Day has been recognized annually on May 25 since 1983 to raise awareness about those who are missing and recognize efforts to reunite children and their families.

The actual number of kids who are reported missing every year is hard to calculate, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which was established in 1984 to coordinate search efforts. Some children are never reported missing and others, like repeat runaways, are entered in the FBI National Crime Information Center each time they run away. Since its founding nearly 35 years ago, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has assisted in the recovery of more than 260,000 children.

But some have never been found. Still missing in Maryland, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, are these children, who have vanished since the beginning of 2018:

Yazmine Ali, 16, was last seen in Damascus in Montgomery County on April 13, 2018. She was wearing a white shirt, blue jean shorts and black boots. Yazmine's hair is frosted blond. She is described as white, 5-feet-2-inches tall and 160 pounds.

Karyn Anderson, 16, is missing from the Walkersville area of Frederick County. Karyn has braces on her teeth. She was wearing an orange runner's jacket, white parka and black-and-white Adidas sweatpants when she was last seen on March 24, 2018. She was also carrying a small purse/pouch around her neck. She is described as black with black hair and brown eyes and is 5-feet-8-inches tall and 150 pounds.

Caleb Asikoye, 16, of Takoma Park, was last seen on April 17, 2018, wearing a long black Helly Hansen coat with blue jeans. He is described as black with black hair and brown eyes. He is 5-feet-9-inches tall and 200 pounds.

Emily Boa, 16, was last seen in Kensington on May 23, 2018. She has tattoos on her wrists and is described as white with blond hair. She is 5-feet-7-inches tall and 115 pounds. When last seen, she was wearing a yellow hooded sweatshirt with blue jeans and carrying a black backpack.

Myla Cooper, 17, was last seen in Forest Hill on Jan. 1, 2018. She is described as black with black hair and brown eyes, 5-feet-11-inches tall and 180 pounds.

Nyomi Cooper, 17, was last seen in Bethesda on Feb. 5, 2018. She was wearing a black waist-length jacket, blue jeans with holes and UGG boots. She is described as black with black hair and brown eyes. She is 5-feet-5-inches tall and 118 pounds.

Robert Crowley, 12, was last seen in Silver Spring on April 17, 2018. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a blue jacket, camouflage pants and white sneakers. Robert is described as 5 feet tall and 100 pounds, He is black with black hair and brown eyes.

Jadalen Driessen, 17, went missing from Nottingham on Jan. 16, 2018. She is biracial (Asian and white) and is described as 5-feet-2-inches tall and 100 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She may be in the company of a man traveling to Wells or Bluefield, West Virginia.

Luz Ordonez Dubon, 16, was last seen on March 14, 2018. She is from Silver Spring and is described as Hispanic with black hair and brown eyes. She is 5-feet-1-inch tall and 125 pounds.

Brayn Garcia Cordova, 15, has been missing from Silver Spring since March 23, 2018. Brayn was last seen wearing a black Nike sweatshirt with a red symbol and black Vans shoes. He is Hispanic with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5-feet-4-inches tall and 137 pounds.

Charles Floyd, 15, and Le'Shae Hudson, 17, were last seen on March 1, 2018, in Baltimore. Charles is black with black hair and brown eyes. He is 5-feet-7-inches tall and 140 pounds. She is described as black with brown hair and brown eyes. Le'Shae is 4-feet-11-inches tall and 100 pounds.

Alexis Green, 17, has been missing from Baltimore since May 4, 2018. She is described as black with brown hair and brown eyes. She is 5-feet-6-inches tall and 110 pounds.

Keiwon Harrison, 16, has been missing from Silver Spring since May 11, 2018. Keiwon was last seen wearing black jeans and a t-shirt. He may frequent Montgomery/Prince George's County and Washington, D.C. He is described as black with black hair and brown eyes and is about 5-feet-10-inches tall and 160 pounds.

Sara and Shianne Hein, both 16, were last seen in Silver Spring on May 8, 2018. Both are white, 5-feet-4-inches tall and have brown eyes. Sara has brown hair and is 120 pounds. Shianne has blond hair and is 130 pounds.

Kimberly Heyward, 15, was last seen in Baltimore on April 3, 2018. She is black with brown hair and brown eyes. She is 5-feet-5-inches tall and 125 pounds.

Sisi Hernandez, 16, was last seen in Silver Spring on April 20, 2018. She was last seen wearing a brown jacket and light blue pants. She is Hispanic with brown hair, brown eyes, is 5-feet-7-inches tall and 160 pounds.

Isabelle Kohler, 15, was last seen wearing tan Uggs, black athletic pants and a hooded sweatshirt in Bethesda on March 27, 2018. She is described as white with blond hair and brown eyes. She is 5-feet-8-inches tall and 130 pounds.

Jerwon Mack, 17, was last seen in Baltimore on March 9, 2018. He is 5-feet-8-inches tall and 170 pounds and is described as black with black hair and brown eyes.

Laylen Nuckles, 16, disappeared from Parkville on Jan. 5, 2018. She has brown hair and blue eyes. She is described as white, 5-feet-4-inches tall and 102 pounds.

Symone Palmer, 16, was last seen in Germantown on April 4, 2018. She was last seen wearing flip-flops and carrying a leopard book bag. She is 5-feet-8-inches tall and 230 pounds.

Kacee Parker, 14, was last seen in Baltimore on Jan. 12, 2018. He is black with black hair and brown eyes and is about 5-feet-4-inches tall and 117 pounds.

Gladys Rios-Gonzalez, 15, was last seen in Rockville on March 15, 2018. She may frequent the Greenbelt area of Prince George's County. When last seen, she was carrying a red backpack and wearing a shiny black jacket, dark pants and black Puma sneakers. She is Hispanic and is described as being 5-feet-4-inches tall and 140 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair.

Kayla Santmyer, 17, was last seen in Derwood in Montgomery County on April 1, 2018, wearing a blue leather jacket. She is white with brown hair and brown eyes and is described as 5-feet-1-inch tall and 150 pounds.

Palace Sonogod, 16, was last seen in Gaithersburg on March 5, 2018. She has sleeve tattoos on both arms and was wearing a light blue coat, blue pants, black tennis shoes and scarf around her hair when she disappeared. She is 5-feet-3-inches tall and 103 pounds.

Khadijah Spurlock, 16, is missing from the Burtonsville area of Montgomery County and may frequent places around Washington, D.C. She is 5-feet-5-inches tall and 130 pounds. She is black, has brown eyes and brown medium-length curly hair.

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Joseph Tello, 16, was last seen in Germantown on Feb. 19, 2018. He was carrying a red North Face backpack and was wearing a dark blue jacket with fur at the time of his disappearance. He is described as 5-feet-10-inches tall and 135 pounds. He is Hispanic and has black hair and brown eyes.

Breanna and Sierra Thomas, 15, have been missing since May 12, 2018. They are from Harwood and may travel to Baltimore. Breanna and Sierra are biracial (black and white) and have black hair and brown eyes. Both are 5-feet-3-inches tall and 120 pounds.

Zekayla Thompson, 15, has been missing from Silver Spring since April 4, 2018. She is 4-feet-11-inches tall and 90 pounds and is described as black with black hair and brown eyes.

Jocelyn Vasquez, 15, was last seen in Wheaton on March 25, 2018. She was wearing gray shoes, a black sweater, blue jeans and a black backpack. She may frequent Hyattsville or the Columbia Heights area of D.C.

Gregory Walker, 17, was last seen in Germantown on March 28, 2018. He is described as black with black hair and black eyes and 5-feet-9-inches tall and 169 pounds.

Grace Whittington, 17, of Baltimore, was last seen on May 1, 2018. She is described as white with brown hair and brown eyes and is about 5-feet-8-inches tall and 190 pounds.

Amyri Wilson, 16, was last seen in Olney on April 6, 2018. He was wearing a tan shirt and black jeans. He is black with black hair and brown eyes and is 5-feet-7-inches tall and 127 pounds.

Gissell Zavala, 17, was last seen in Wheaton on May 13, 2018. She has a tattoo on her left forearm of a rose and a musical note on one of her wrists. She is 5-feet-2-inches and 150 pounds and is described as Hispanic with brown hair and brown eyes.

Maile Zebart, 17, was last seen in Olney on April 26, 2018. She has multiple piercings and may wear a wig. Maile may also be in need of medical attention. She is described as white with brown hair and blue eyes and is 5-feet-3-inches tall and 100 pounds.

Do you recognize anyone? Use the cyber tip line or call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

The nonprofit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was established by parents like John and Revé Walsh, whose 6-year-old son, Adam, was abducted from a Florida shopping mall in 1981 and later found murdered.

Before the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children existed, police could enter information about stolen cars, guns and other items on the FBI’s crime database, but not stolen children. The Adam Walsh disappearance was among several tragic cases that illuminated the need for a nationwide, coordinated system to address the problem of missing children.

Others included Etan Patz, a 6-year-old who vanished from a New York street on the way to school in 1979. Over the next several years, 29 children and young adults reported as missing were found murdered in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1982, West Des Moines, Iowa, paperboy Johnny Gosch, 12, never came home from his paper route. His disappearance remains unsolved.

Former President Ronald Reagan was an honored guest when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children opened its doors in 1984. A year earlier, he had proclaimed every May 25 as National Missing Children’s Day.

Since then, the Department of Justice has annually commemorated National Missing Children’s Day with a ceremony honoring heroic and exemplary efforts of agencies, organizations and individuals to protect children, and to coordinate efforts to reunite missing children with their families.

The problem of missing children is particularly acute in California, which accounts for nearly half of the missing children cases documented on the Polly Klaas Foundation website. The states with the most missing children reports since 1994 are as follows:

California: 4,541
Texas: 489
Florida: 364
Arizona: 246
New York: 223
Washington: 218
Ohio: 209
Colorado: 183
Illinois: 177
Georgia: 171
Oregon: 153
Pennsylvania: 153
Nevada: 150
Michigan: 130
Indiana: 124

Stock photo by Lightspring/Shutterstock. Photos of missing persons courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.