PHOENIX — The Department of Public Safety issued the first statewide Turquoise Alert on Wednesday, and it has since been canceled after the subjects were located in Cottonwood.
Hawaii Island police said 6-year-old Violet Coultas and her 48-year-old mother, Sarah Coultas, were believed to be in Arizona. The mother was also wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant.
"Sarah Coultas is alleged to have fled Hawaii with Violet in violation of a court order," a press release said.
Authorities say 6-year-old Violet was last seen on video surveillance at Phoenix Sky Harbor on July 12, around 10 p.m. Officials say Violet was accompanied by her non-custodial mother.
Before the sighting at Phoenix's airport, Hawaii Island police say "the pair was last seen together on Sunday, July 6, 2025, at 4 p.m., at the top of Miloli‘i Road in South Kona. Sarah most recently lived in Pa‘auilo and worked in Hilo, but she may frequent the Kona and Ka‘ū areas."
Cottonwood Police Department said it was contacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation later Wednesday night regarding additional information that the pair may have been in the area.
Around 1 a.m., the pair was found at a local women’s shelter. Sarah was then taken into custody without incident on the felony warrant.
Violet was unharmed and asleep at the time, and stayed in the care of the shelter until she was taken into Arizona Department of Child Safety custody.
Early Thursday morning, DPS said, "at the request of the Hawaii Police Department," the Turquoise Alert was canceled.
"Working in coordination with the State of Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General’s Missing Child Center and the Arizona Department of Public Safety, it was determined that Violet met the criteria for a Turquoise Alert. This statewide notification system helps locate missing and endangered persons under the age of 65, including tribal members. The alert was established following the passage of Emily’s Law in May 2025, named in honor of Emily Pike, a San Carlos Apache tribal member whose case brought national attention to the need for improved notification systems for missing, at-risk adults," a release said Wednesday.
