Alicia Navarro was a 14-year-old girl living in Glendale, Arizona, with her younger sister and brother, father Ivan, and mother Jessica Nuñez before she disappeared. Alicia was known as a sweet and simple girl. From a young age, she showed advanced sensory abilities and learned to tie her shoes and do laundry early on. She was also very smart with electronics and enjoyed spending most of her time playing video games such as Minecraft and Roblox. She loved wearing sweatshirts, even in the Arizona heat and going to McDonald’s to get her favorite order of chicken nuggets.
Alicia Navarro (azcentral.com)
Alicia attended Bourgade Catholic High School in Phoenix and described herself as “introverted, nerdy, shy” on her first day of school. Life was not always easy for Alicia, however, as she took medications, had a compromised immune system, and was diagnosed with autism. Although high-functioning on the autism spectrum, her family hired a behavior coach to help her navigate the challenges of school. She had a small group of childhood friends as well as many online gaming friends.
On Friday, September 13, 2019, Alicia asked her mother, Jessica, if she could skip school, and her mother agreed, understanding that Alicia was feeling nervous. Alicia spent most of that day in her room. On Saturday, she spent the day with her mother, getting her eyebrows threaded and visiting a chocolate factory. Jessica remembered her daughter as being very happy that day.
On Sunday night, September 15, at approximately 1:00 a.m., Jessica was waiting for her husband, Ivan, to get off work when Alicia walked downstairs to get a glass of water. Seeing Alicia up late was not unusual, as Jessica knew she often stayed up late playing video games and chatting with her online gaming friends. Alicia asked her mother what time she was going to bed before heading back upstairs to her room. At some point after her husband returned home, they both went to bed.
The next morning, around 7:00 a.m., Jessica was making breakfast for the family. Ivan and Alicia’s younger brother and sister were awake, but Alicia was not. While preparing the food, Jessica noticed the back door to the house was slightly ajar. She went outside to check the yard and soon discovered that several chairs had been moved and stacked against the back wall. There were also shoe prints near the chairs that appeared to be the same size as Alicia’s. Jessica suspected the chairs had been stacked to help her daughter jump over the wall.
Jessica went to Alicia’s room, but it was empty. Alicia was nowhere to be found. On her desk was a handwritten note addressed to her parents that read: “I ran away. I will be back. I swear. I’m sorry.”
Handwritten note from Alicia to her parents (Glendale Police Department)
Alicia’s laptop was also missing, but her chargers were left behind. Jessica immediately called the police to report Alicia’s disappearance. Police searched the home but found nothing else unusual.
Five days later, on September 20, 2019, Alicia turned fifteen. She had made no contact with family or friends, and her social media accounts were inactive. Jessica believes someone from one of Alicia’s online gaming communities convinced her to meet and then prevented her from returning home.
I just feel like she’s in danger. She would have never been gone this long - not without getting in touch with me. Someone has her and I’m so worried.Jessica Nuñez, mother of Alicia Navarro
As police actively investigate, Jessica keeps Alicia’s story in the public eye by giving interviews, which have led to two tips about her possible whereabouts. One tip came from a woman who claimed to have seen Alicia holding hands with a man about ten minutes from her home. Another tip was from a different woman who said she saw Alicia in the same area. Unfortunately, neither tip led to a breakthrough.
The Glendale Police Department still does not know whether Alicia was lured away or left on her own accord. They continue to search for her with the assistance of the FBI and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
An age-progressed photo of Alicia at the age of 17 has also been released.
Alicia Navarro as a 17-year-old (childfindofamerica.org)
To date, this case is still unsolved and police are actively searching for Alicia.
UPDATE - July 27, 2023
On July 26, 2023, police reported that Alicia walked into a police station in Montana, 40 miles from the U.S. Canada border and asked for help to be taken off the missing juvenile list. “She is by all accounts safe, she is by all accounts healthy, and she is by all accounts happy,” said Jose Santiago, a spokesperson for Glendale police. Alicia told police that she voluntarily left home but gave no further details about her disappearance. She has since been reunited with her mother. More developments are expected.
Alicia Navarro at the time of her disappearance (left) and a current photo (NBC NEWS)
Source: Arizona teen who went missing nearly 4 years ago shows up at Montana police station
UPDATE - August 2, 2023
It was revealed that Alicia turned herself in to police and requested removal from the missing juvenile list so she could get her driver’s license. She was also seen moving out of an apartment in Havre, Montana, where she had been living. She was accompanied by a 36-year-old man named Edmund (Eddy) Davis. Davis worked as a night stocker at Walmart but had recently been let go. The two were seen packing up the apartment with Davis’ parents before leaving. A neighbor reported Alicia had lived at the apartment for at least a year.
Police searched the apartment and interviewed Davis along with three others, but no additional information has been released, and no arrests have been made. The investigation remains ongoing.
Sources:
Man questioned in Montana after Arizona teen Alicia Navarro reappears after four years missing
UPDATE - October 24, 2023
Edmund (Eddy) Davis, described by police as Alicia Navarro’s boyfriend, has been arrested and charged with child sex abuse after explicit images were found on his cellphone. The images were discovered during a police search of his Havre, Montana apartment. These charges are unrelated to Alicia’s disappearance.
Source: Man connected to Alicia Navarro case charged with child sexual abuse
UPDATE - February 11, 2025
In an unrelated child sex abuse case, Edmund Davis was found guilty and sentenced to 100 years in Montana State Prison, with 50 years suspended. He will not be eligible for parole for 25 years.
Source: Man linked to Alicia Navarro, teen missing for 4 years, sentenced to 100 years for child sex abuse
