More than three and a half years after 15-year-old Joniah Walker disappeared from Milwaukee, her family continues their desperate search while questioning whether the case received adequate attention from investigators.
Joniah vanished on June 23, 2022, after being seen walking alone on Hubbard Street in the Brewer's Hill neighborhood, carrying a large backpack with her head down. Surveillance video obtained by family members shows her final known movements near Hubbard and Reservoir streets before her phone went offline.
"Her dad called me and was like her phone's going to voicemail. I knew immediately it was just off, so I left right away — made it home within 15 minutes. She wasn't there," said Miss Howard, Joniah's mother.
The family believes the investigation got off to a slow start, with Joniah's sister MacKenzie Thompson questioning the initial response.
"Why didn't the police go knock on people's doors? Like everybody on that block has a Ring camera. We got the videos, not the police," Thompson said.
Miss Howard said it took nearly a year before she had a face-to-face meeting with an investigator.
"No one interviewed me, no one sat me down. It was us versus the police stations with a glass between us," Howard said. "She didn't come to my house until January or February the next year. It was nearly a year, yes."
Watch: Missing Milwaukee teen Joniah Walker: Family still searching after 3 years
Milwaukee Police Officer Jamie Sromalla confirmed the case remains active.
"It is still an active open investigation," Sromalla said.
The family believes Joniah's online activity, including communications with older men, may have played a role in her disappearance; however, investigators say they have found no evidence of human trafficking.
"I can assure you we have no reason to believe that she was involved in human trafficking," Jamie Sromalla said.
Police say Joniah appeared to understand how to cover her digital tracks.
"Joniah was very smart. She erased a lot of her history, any tracks, any type of trace of her — she made sure was deleted," Sromalla said.
Now 18, Joniah could legally choose to remain away from home if she left voluntarily. But her family holds onto hope she might be watching and listening.
"She needs to come home. We miss her. Nothing's changed. She's still our baby," Howard said.
Thompson has a message for other parents based on their experience.
"Parents need to really go through their kids' phones and their devices, even the little kids — Roblox, Snapchat, Instagram — because people prey on people's kids," Thompson said.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has created an age-progression image showing what Joniah might look like now. She was last seen on Hubbard Street in Milwaukee wearing a large backpack.
Anyone with information about Joniah Walker's whereabouts should contact Milwaukee Police.
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