Karleigh Cardenas, 14, a resident of Casa Grande, Arizona, has been missing since late August 2023.
Cardenas was last spotted at a Popeyes restaurant on 59th and Northern avenues in Glendale, a location that added to the mystery surrounding her journey. The Casa Grande Police Department confirmed that they were treating the case as that of a juvenile runaway.
Who is Karleigh Cardenas?
Karleigh Cardenas is a 14-year-old teenager from Casa Grande, Arizona, who has captured the attention of a community and beyond due to her sudden and unexplained disappearance.
Karleigh’s life took a perplexing turn when she ran away from her family home on Sunday, August 27, 2023, alongside a 15-year-old boy from her neighborhood.
A week later, the situation took a more distressing turn when the teenage boy returned home alone, unable to provide a credible explanation for Karleigh’s absence. Her family’s anxiety deepened as they grappled with the uncertainty of her whereabouts.
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Shaun Cardenas, Karleigh’s father, took to social media, specifically Facebook, to make a heartfelt plea to the online community for help in locating his missing daughter. He expressed the haunting suspicion that something grave may have happened to Karleigh, given the inexplicable circumstances of her disappearance.
In a Facebook post, Shaun Cardenas shared his concerns, stating, “Last Sunday night my daughter Karleigh Cardenas (14) ran away with a young man (15) from the community. He spent five days with her. Then came back alone. We are desperately looking for her, and my heart has a bad feeling.”
The family’s search for Karleigh extended beyond social media as they hired private investigators to aid in locating her. They suspected that she might be in the Glendale area but were plagued by inconsistencies in the stories provided by the 15-year-old boy who had been with her.
“We don’t know what story to believe,” Shaun Cardenas lamented. The uncertainty surrounding Karleigh’s situation had taken a heavy toll on her family. In a plea to the community, he urged anyone with information to reach out, emphasizing, “She is very special to her family, and we just want her home safe.”
A missing-persons flier indicated that Karleigh could potentially be in the Glendale area, but the family implored people to keep a lookout across the entire Phoenix Valley. They appealed for the assistance of the police department and the broader community, expressing their deep concern for Karleigh’s safety.
Karleigh’s mother, Joelle Cardenas, expressed the family’s deep love and concern, declaring, “We just want her to know if she can hear us that we love her so much and we just want her to return safely.” Her father, Shaun Cardenas, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing, “Someone around here knows something.”
