The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has launched a search for a missing 16-year-old mother and her 2-week-old son, who have both been unaccounted for since Monday night, Oct. 16.
The mother and child were last seen at their residence in East New York, and local residents have initiated efforts to locate them.
Zariya Bennett, the 16-year-old mother, is approximately 5’7″ tall, weighs around 130 pounds, and has a dark complexion, according to the police.
Concerned friends and former classmates of Bennett have shared her photo on social media, expressing their worries and emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
One of her former classmates, Janiece Neville, told News 12 that Bennett is a kind and helpful person.
She stated:
“She was a good person, she always helped me with my work. We were good friends… this is a serious situation. We don’t know what happened, but she’s not here, and we have to find her.“
Authorities reported that Bennett was last seen wearing gray sweatpants.
The NYPD encourages anyone with information to contact the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or the Spanish hotline at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). All calls will be handled with strict confidentiality.
This is not the first time Zariya Bennett’s name has popped up on the missing person’s list.
In 2021, a teen with a similar name — Zariya Bennett — and 14 years old at the time, was reported missing while going to school.
“Last seen walking on Pennsylvania Ave towards Dumont Ave in East New York to Thomas Jefferson H.S. around 7:30 am on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. She never made it to school,” a tweet by Media Eat Out to help find her said
ShineMyCrown reported recently that a TV show that presents unfiltered conversations about Blacks recently highlighted the “epidemic of missing Black women and girls” in a riveting discussion.
The latest episode “REVOLT Black News Weekly” got to the bottom of the issue in an explosive special edition titled “Dangerous Black girl magic: Now you see her, now you don’t”.
The discussions were held during REVOLT WORLD and hosted by global news anchor Mara S. Campo. Speaking to survivors and activists, “RBN” sought to not only spotlight the issue but try to offer up solutions as well.
