Missing Indiana Teen Aaliyah Ramirez Recovered Safely in Florida

The Silver Alert to find missing teen Aaliyah Ramirez is thankfully no longer active.

August 30, 2021

Both photos shown are of Aaliyah. She may travel to Florida. Aaliyah is multi-racial. She is Black, Hispanic, and White. [via National Center for Missing & Exploited Children]

By: Michelle Sigona

Investigators say missing 14-year-old Aaliyah Ramirez, who appeared on the season premiere of “In Pursuit with John Walsh,” was found safely in Florida. According to authorities, she was with two women identified reportedly as relatives.

The suspects, 25-year-old Allissa Sands and 47-year-old Elizabeth Sands, were arrested by the US Marshals and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office. Both women are in the Palm Beach County Jail where they are being held on “out-of-state fugitive charges” and where they await extradition. Investigators have not yet confirmed what led them to recovering Aaliyah.

According to published reports, the younger woman is the victim’s aunt and the older suspect is her grandmother. It’s not clear why the women allegedly took their teen relative.

On April 27, 2021, investigators said Aaliyah Ramirez vanished. She was reportedly last seen on her neighbors' Ring doorbell camera around 8 a.m. wearing her school backpack and walking toward the street. Ramirez was leaving her home to walk to the bus stop, but authorities said she never made it on the bus.

When Aaliyah disappeared, many of her dancer friends came forward to help find her. Katie Reynolds, Ramirez’s friend said, "We started making flyers, passing them out. We literally went everywhere in the state of Indiana. I had my brother driving me around Fort Wayne. I was all around Indianapolis just trying to get her name out, see if anybody knew.” Others had been all over social media, including TikTok, to keep the word out about her case.

Next Up

Police Believe Florida Man May Have Killed 3 Women He Once Dated

‘He is the devil,’ says the daughter of one of suspect Cleveland Hall Jr.’s possible victims.

5 Things That Still Bother Us About The Unsolved Maura Murray Case

On Feb. 9, 2004, UMass Amherst student Maura Murray left campus and crashed her car in Haverhill, New Hampshire. She has never been seen since.

It's Been More Than 15 Years Since Bianca Piper Vanished At Age 13

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a hotline dedicated to finding missing kids. If you know where Bianca "B" Piper is today, please reach out directly: 1-800-THE-LOST

In February 2001, Steven Kraft, Jr. Took His Dogs Outside And Disappeared

Over two decades ago, a 12-year-old boy went missing from outside his home in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The two dogs he was playing with have since been found but he remains missing.

12-Year-Old Celina Mays Was 9 Months Pregnant When She Vanished In 1996

Celina Mays was 12-years-old and two weeks away from giving birth when she disappeared in the middle of the night from her New Jersey home. If you have any information about Celina Mays, please call or text the IN PURSUIT hotline directly: 833-378-7783 (3-PURSUE).