The FBI is partnering with local officials to investigate the disappearance of 13-year-old Black girl from Gary, Indiana, PEOPLE reports.
Ja’Niyah McMichael, 13, was reported missing on August 11. The city of Gary announced in an update that federal officers will now be helping local police in the search for McMichael.
Gary police have “been in active communication with the family members of Ja’Niyah McMichael, who have assisted in the investigation” since her August disappearance, the city said in a statement.
“This is an active and ongoing investigation. This investigation has led Gary Detectives to secure a court approved search warrant which was executed [Saturday] in partnership with the FBI. To preserve the integrity of the case, the Gary Police Department is limited in additional details that can be shared publicly.”
The search warrant was executed at a home in Gary, according to reports.
McMichael’s grandmother, Dalia Guerrero, said the family is “not gonna stop until we find her and bring her home.” Guerrero asked the public to “keep sharing anything little to the public that they see or hear, or whatever they hear on the streets, could be something big for us.”
“Ja’Niyah is very outgoing, she lights the room up, she’s very loving to be around,” Guerrero told local outlets. “It’s been too long… the not knowing is the worst.”
In its update, the city of Gary warned the public about “significant misinformation” that’s been spread on social media bout McMichael’s disappearance and urged people “to refrain from sharing unvetted information” online.
The city also called on the public “to exercise due caution if solicited for donations from individuals or vigilante groups” claiming to be working with police or the McMichael family. If anyone has information about McMichael’s case, they should contact the Gary Police Department or the FBI.
“If Ja’Niyah is listening, just know your nonna loves you… your family loves you… you have the world looking for you,” Guerrero said.
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