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This National Missing Children’s Day, AZ has hundreds of active cases

This National Missing Children’s Day, AZ has hundreds of active cases
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PHOENIX — Arizona ranks among the top states for the number of active missing children, according to data by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NCMEC.

NCMEC data showed 1,464 missing children reports in 2025, with the majority of those resolved; another 158 cases are still active.

Arizona Department of Public Safety data shows 504 active cases, 89 percent of which are teenagers.

One of those cases is 16-year-old James Hillman, who went missing from Tempe on Aug. 18. It has been nine months since the report, and authorities believe he may still be in the area.

In Phoenix, a family is still searching for 15-year-old Jessica Holtzinger, who was reported missing in mid-March around 27th and Roosevelt streets in Phoenix.

“We are absolutely heartbroken. Her grandma and I, we miss her dearly,” father David Holtzinger said. "I know how devastating it feels not to have your family complete.”

Click here to view missing children reports based on location.