Shalaya Porter, an 18-year-old teen, was reported missing on June 5. The college-bound teen was accepted to her desired college to study architecture and fashion at Morgan State University. Everything was going according to her plan; then she went missing.
What transpired in her sudden disappearance? Dissecting the timeline of the missing teen.
What Happened To Shalaya Porter?
June 5: Shalaya’s mother, Kaleia Porter, noticed her daughter had left her phone on her bed. But she was nowhere to be found in the house. Pertaining to a teenager, this is the first sign of concern, considering a cell phone is always attached to their hands. Although she did not think much of it at first, a lingering worry made her file missing persons report as the day passed. There was no means of contacting Shalaya since she did not have her phone.
She was last seen at 4600 Block of Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia.
June 9: It was Shalaya’s graduation day, and her family noted her visible excitement for many days. But their worry grew further that day as she missed her most anticipated day and the end of high school. Her family stated that this behavior is “completely out of character,” considering how hard she worked in academics.
Her aunt Felicia Hill told the Philadelphia outlet:
“Shalaya would have never missed her graduation. Shalaya would have never missed the opportunity to go to college. Shalaya would have never left her mom.”
June 13: The local community gathered to conduct a search party for Shalaya at Motivation High School on the 5900 block of Baltimore Avenue. The volunteers spread across all blocks surrounding the neighborhood.
June 16: As of now, she has been missing for 10 days with not much progress in the investigation. She has missed her prom as well.
Important Information: Shalaya always takes public transportation. The police have requested that anyone who has seen her use these services contact them. It would help give direction to the investigation.
What Is Shalaya Porter’s Family Saying About Her Disappearance?
Shalaya’s mother first told how she discovered that her daughter was missing–
“I sat on the couch and called her phone, and that’s when I realized that something is not right. Her phone is here, but she’s not.”
Kaleia Porter spoke out about her only child at the gathering–
“My daughter is a beautiful, wonderful, smart, intelligent, young lady.”
She further said in an interview:
“I need her back home. She’s got a bright future ahead of her. … Just bring my baby home.”
The family themselves are perplexed about this unexpected incident. They maintain that Shalaya was never one to act up and leave home like this.
Her aunt, Felicia Hill, said–
“We just don’t know. That’s the thing that’s killing us the most. The why and the don’t knows, and things like that. She was looking forward to graduating and looking forward to going to college, and looking forward to living life and moving on to her next chapter.”
How Can You Help The Porters?
If you have seen a girl in her teens with a septum piercing, 5’6 feet tall, and weighs around 120 pounds, contact the police department at (215)686-3183 at Southwest Detective Division.
Shalaya has brown hair and brown eyes.
Her entire family is involved in searching for the teenager, passing out fliers. If you have any information, call the number or 911.
Missing Person Stats in the US
Missing person reports have been piling, with more than 600,000 people going missing annually, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons (NamUS).
Fortunately, they also reported that missing cases get resolved quickly, with 485000 out of 521705 solved within a few weeks.
The report also stated that around 4400 bodies are recovered yearly from missing person cases. There are roughly 6.5 missing persons for every 100000 people nationwide.
Pennsylvania, where Shalaya resides, is ranked at number 9 for the states with the most missing persons.
If we want a fast track on this investigation, it is essential to keep highlighting this case on social media and share the hashtags. Otherwise, it might get buried under the pile. Also, the missing person of people-of-color needs more visibility to keep the investigation alive.
According to The Guardian report, Black children were also 7% less likely to be found by police than white children.
Keep spreading awareness for Shalaya.
What do you think of this case? Do you think black people have more unsolved missing cases? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
