Two years ago, Ja'Niyah McMichael went missing from Gary. Her grandma said she will not rest until McMichael is home.
nwitimes.com
Northwest Indiana grandma pleads for answers in case of missing teen Ja’Niyah McMichael
For the last two years, the disappearance of her oldest grandchild has left a hole in Dalia Guerrero's heart.
Ja'Niyah McMichael was last seen on Aug. 11, 2024, in Gary. She was the oldest of Guerrero's 11 grandchildren.
"Ja'Niyah is a loving and bright girl," Guerrero said. "She brightens up the room; she brightens up my world. She's very funny, loves to do hair and nails. She loves to dance, and she did a lot of TikToks. She's just a kid."
The last time Guerrero saw McMichael was on her 13th birthday in April 2024. McMichael would be 15 years old now.
“I didn’t know that was going to be the last time ever holding her or kissing her or hearing her voice,” Guerrero said. “We want her home. We want answers.”
The case is being investigated by the Gary Police Department with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigations and
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Guerrero said she contacts the GPD every two weeks for any progress on the case.
The most recent update was issued by the FBI in April 2025. Investigators believed
McMichael may have been a victim of foul play, according to previous reporting. Guerrero said no FBI officials have told her why foul play was suspected.
“Nobody has shown me any proof to say that she’s no longer with us, but the FBI is adamant about it,” Guerrero said. “If that’s the case, she needs to be laid to rest. We need closure. We need justice for her."
The City of Gary and FBI previously pledged a combined $20,000 reward for information that would lead officials to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for McMichael's disappearance. USPA Nationwide, a private security company that often hands out grants for missing children's cases, pledged an additional $10,000.
Still, the family has no answers.
Jasmine McMichael, the mother of Ja’Niyah McMichael, initially reported that Ja’Niyah ran away following an argument they had the night before.
The last conversation they had ended when Ja’Niyah went upstairs and slammed her bedroom door shut. Jasmine McMichael woke up the next day to find that her front and back doors were unlocked, and Ja’Niyah was gone.
“There’s no punishment behind her running away. We can work it out,” Jasmine McMichael previously said. “We miss her, and we want her to come home.”
A community search party was conducted just two weeks after she was reported missing. The group searched a five-mile radius through abandoned buildings, alleys and anything in between.
Indiana State Police
issued a statewide silver alert on Sept. 5, 2024, for Ja'Niyah McMichael four weeks after her disappearance. At this time, the GPD informed the public McMichael was believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance, according to a release.
FBI officials and Gary detectives
secured a search warrant of the family's house on Oct. 5, 2024. It is unclear what evidence, if any, was recovered from the home.
The Times reached out to the FBI and GPD for the latest updates on the investigation. FBI deferred any questions to GPD, as it is the lead department on the investigation.
"The Gary Police Department remains deeply committed to finding justice for Ja'Niyah McMichael and bringing answers to her family," GPD said. "We continue to actively investigate this case, with detectives reviewing evidence and following up on leads as they become available. To protect the integrity of this ongoing investigation, we are unable to release investigative reports or discuss specific details at this time."
Guerrero said she doesn't blame police for the recent lack of updates regarding McMichael's disappearance. She tries her best to spread the word herself. She makes posts on social media groups and reaches out to newspapers, TV shows and radio shows for any chance to get the word out.
Almost every day, she takes her stack of missing posters and hands them out to people on the street, in the grocery store or at the park. At nearly every gas station in the Region, and even some in Illinois and Wisconsin, Guerrero has left a poster of McMichael.
McMichael's siblings and extended family continue to share her story.
"For me, I don't stop. No one should ever stop," Guerrero said. "Even if it's 10, 20 years from now, I'm still going to keep doing what I'm doing."
Guerrero said she hoped McMichael could see the efforts of her family and the thousands of strangers who have volunteered to pass out fliers or make posts on social media.
She said she hopes people remember her name and shares her story.
"She is a piece of my puzzle that is missing, and I will never rest until I find her," she said. "Until my last breath. I just can't stop."
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