CARMICHAEL, Calif. — Saturday Update:
A Carmichael teen who went missing late December has been found and will be reunited with her family, community activist Berry Accius said in an Instagram post Saturday.
"Due to everyone's combined efforts she has been located," the post said. "We will provide and update within the next couple of days."
Accius asked for the public to respect the family's privacy as they undergo a greatly anticipated reunion and time of healing.
Original Story:
Nykari Johnson, 16-years-old, had been reported missing from her home in Carmichael for over a month. The family called on more action to find her while officials said they had done everything they could.
"It's been 38 days. Actually, I don't like to count the days," Tiearrar Subia, who is the mother of Nykari Johnson, said on Feb. 2.
Since Dec. 27, Subia wondered where her missing 16-year-old daughter was. She was listed on Sacramento County's missing persons database.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said detectives had been on the case and they had exhausted every follow-up step that they could.
"From all our investigative steps we've taken, from the patrol reporting down to the detective follow ups, she has not met any of our at-risk criteria. So right now we're still actively seeking information from the community," said Sgt. Amar Gandhi, spokesperson for the sheriff's office.
But the mother of four says she didn't understand why her daughter wasn't considered at risk if she was underage and not attending school.
We asked her if there were any reasons why Johnson would want to leave her home.
"Everythings been cool. We haven't had any arguments, she wasn't in trouble. It was just Christmas time," said Subia.
The family had also said they don't believe the search is as intense because Johnson is Black, which is something the sheriff's office denies.
"Race is not a factor in anything determining at-risk or not. There's a specific set of criteria. It doesn't matter what your background is. The fact she's 16, we want her home whether she's black or white, or anything in between. We want that 16-year-old home," said Gandi.
Berry Accius, a community advocate who is helping the family search for the teen, says he's disappointed and more can be done.
"Our sheriff's said we've exhausted all the resources. But just in 24 hours I was just dealing with a 12-year-old young missing girl that literally I gave to another department in the city. They put out a bulletin and we were able to find this girl in 24 hours," said Accius.
The community advocate and mother were frustrated and said they just wanted to know where Johnson was and if she was safe.
"Just let me know you're okay. Just come home," said Subia.
The family was pleading for answers in the case.
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