VA MARWA BARAKZAI: Missing from Newport News, VA - 19 March 2026 - Age 16 *Found Deceased*

Teen missing in Newport News after last seen exiting school bus on Thursday

Police are asking for urgent public help after a 16-year-old vanished shortly after arriving home from school. Newport News, VA – A search is underway for a missing 16-year-old girl who was last seen Thursday evening after getting off her school bus in a Newport News neighborhood. Police say the...

www.shorenewsnetwork.com

Teen missing in Newport News after last seen exiting school bus on Thursday​

A search is underway for a missing 16-year-old girl who was last seen Thursday evening after getting off her school bus in a Newport News neighborhood. Police say the disappearance occurred around 6 p.m. on Fontaine Road, prompting an appeal for public assistance.

Marwa Barakzai was last observed exiting the bus but has not been seen since, according to the Newport News Police Department. Her sudden disappearance has raised concern as officers work to determine her whereabouts.

https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/codi-alert-issued-for-missing-newport-news-teen/

CODI Alert issued for missing Newport News teen​

Virginia State Police have issued a CODI alert on behalf of the Newport News Police Department for a missing teenager.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

‘We’re just devastated’: Muslim community reacts as CODI Alert issued for missing teen

Marwa Barakzai, 16, was last seen getting off a school bus.

www.newsnationnow.com

‘We’re just devastated’: Muslim community reacts as CODI Alert issued for missing teen​

Members of Newport News’ Muslim community gathered at the Peninsula Islamic Community Center Monday in an effort to find a missing teenager.

Virginia State Police issued a CODI Alert for a missing teenager, Marwa Barakzai, 16, on behalf of the Newport News Police Department.

Barakzai was last seen getting off a school bus at around 6 p.m. on Fontaine Road Thursday, March 19, according to Newport News Police. Barakzai is 5-foot-3, 100 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair. She was last seen wearing a black and white hijab, black pants and black sneakers with white soles.

Monday, volunteers gathered at the Peninsula Islamic Community Center, later passing out flyers to homes and businesses in hopes of reuniting the teen with her family.

Omar Alkadhi explained that her disappearance comes during a major holiday for Muslims, right at the end of Ramadan.

“At the end of the month, we have a celebration of the feast, Eid al-Fitr,” Alkadhi said. “And so everybody’s preparing for that. It’s kind of like preparing for Christmas and Thanksgiving at the same time. You’re preparing a feast, you have a lot of presents, you’re going to see family.

“So for this to happen the last night of Ramadan, the day before Eid, is devastating for the family. I can’t imagine what they’re going through, what they’re thinking. And as Muslims, we consider each other as family, consider our brothers and sisters. And she’s like our child, so it’s kind of like losing a loved one. We’re trying our best to try to reunite her with her family.”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Community searches for missing 16-year-old Newport News teen Marwa Barakzai

Virginia State Police issued a CODI alert for 16-year-old Marwa Barakzai. Newport News Police say they are investigating the disappearance as a runaway incident.

www.wtkr.com

Community searches for missing 16-year-old Newport News teen Marwa Barakzai​

Questions remain about the disappearance of 16-year-old Marwa Barakzai, a Menchville High student who was last seen getting off a school bus on Fontaine Road in Newport News last Thursday.

Over the weekend, Virginia State Police issued a CODI alert on behalf of Newport News Police, saying her disappearance poses a threat to her health and safety. CODI alerts are sent out by law enforcement when a missing child's disappearance poses a credible threat.

Newport News Police told News 3 in an email Tuesday the case is being investigated as a runaway incident and that detectives are working to locate her.

When News 3 asked what prompted the CODI alert to be sent out, a department spokesperson said a reporter would have to ask Police Chief Steve Drew, who has not offered an explanation so far. Almost a week after she disappeared, no additional public information has been shared.

The disappearance has prompted members of the community to search for Barakzai, including in the woods near Warwick High School Tuesday.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/newport-news/newport-news-police-mayor-hold-press-conference-on-missing-teenage-girl/

Newport News police, mayor hold press conference on missing teenage girl​

The Newport News Police Department and mayor plan are holding a press conference Thursday morning in reference to a missing teenage girl who was last seen March 19.

Chief of Police Steve Drew and Mayor Phillip Jones are set to provide an update on 16-year-old Marwa Barakzai at 11 a.m. at the Newport News Police Department Headquarters.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Police believe Marwa Barakzai has run away, deploying significant resources to finding her

It's been a week since 16-year-old Marwa Barakzai was reported missing after the Menchville High student was last being seen getting off her school bus. Two days later, a CODI alert was issued.

www.wtkr.com

Police believe Marwa Barakzai has run away, deploying significant resources to finding her​

Newport News police have deployed significant resources in the search for missing teen, Marwa Barakzai, who authorities believe has run away after she asked her school bus driver to drop of her off in a different location last Thursday.

Bloodhounds, drones, canvassing, CCTV cameras, interviews with family and classmates, among other resources, have been involved in the week-long search for the 16-year-old Menchville High student. Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said they are also working with the governor's office, the FBI, and state police in the search.

"We believe Marwa is a runaway. What is she running away from? We don't actually know. The only person who actually does know why she's run away is Marwa,” Drew said. “I want her to know we love her, we care about her, we want her back safe."

"No one's mad at you, you haven't done anything wrong," Drew continued.

Thursday morning, facing increasing questions about the case this week, Police Chief Steve Drew and Mayor Phillip Jones held a press conference to give updates about their investigation into Barakzai's disappearance.


Barakzai’s family has been heavily involved with police in the search for their daughter, Drew says her mother is heartbroken and her father has been driving around looking for her. The family made a police report after her disappearance and gave police a better photo of Barakzai.

"Her mom wants her daughter back, and that's what we all want," Drew said.

Jones says police and officials have been working around the clock, reporting back to him every few hours. The Newport News Police Department has seen 87 runaways this year: 83 have been located and four are outstanding, including Barakzai, according to Drew.

"If you know something, say something. We cannot do this alone," Jones said.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Newport News police intensify search for missing teen amid emotional plea from family

With miles of searches in wooded areas and the FBI called in, there is still no sign of 16-year-old Marwa Barakzai, who has been missing since last Thursday.

www.13newsnow.com

Newport News police intensify search for missing teen amid emotional plea from family​

City officials in Newport News are making an emotional appeal for help in locating a missing 16-year-old girl who disappeared last week, as police continue an extensive search effort across the city.

Police Chief Steve Drew said investigators have canvassed between six and eight miles of dense wooded areas near where Marwa Barakzai was last seen after getting off her school bus Thursday.

According to Drew, Barakzai asked her bus driver to drop her off at a stop that was not part of her usual route home. After exiting the bus, she discarded her school-issued Chromebook and walked away. She has not been seen since.

Search efforts have included drone operations, neighborhood canvassing, interviews with students from Menchville High School, and bloodhound tracking in wooded areas. Authorities have also deployed boats equipped with sonar to search nearby waterways.

Despite the extensive efforts, investigators have only recovered footage showing Barakzai leaving the area where she exited the bus.

Drew said police have examined the recovered Chromebook in coordination with school officials, but have found no evidence suggesting that an online predator or outside party lured her away.

 

[Kimster]

I do hope this girl is OK! It does seem like a runaway case. What was she running away from? Or who was she running away to?

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I'm hoping it's "just" a runaway case and not her taking drastic actions.
Leaving the Chromebook behind is a red flag, to me. (Though she probably knows those can be tracked if they connect to the internet.) And the searches of the wooded and water areas.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

NCMEC:

Have you seen this child? MARWA BARAKZAI

Missing From: Newport News, VA. Missing Date: March 19, 2026. .

www.missingkids.org

MARWA WAS LAST SEEN ON MARCH 19, 2026.

 

[Kimster]

This is one of those cases where I thought she would be found by now.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Is body pulled from lake a missing Newport News teen? Community and family nervously await identification

The chief medical examiner is working to determine if the body found is that of 16-year-old Marwa Barakzai, who has been missing for several weeks.

www.13newsnow.com

Is body pulled from lake a missing Newport News teen? Community and family nervously await identification​

Authorities in Newport News are working to identify a body discovered in a lake near Riverside Regional Medical Center, as community members anxiously await answers and hope it is not a missing 16-year-old girl.

Police said the body was recovered shortly after 2 p.m. Monday from Mariners' Lake, located behind the hospital. The remains have been turned over to the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy and identification.

The discovery has drawn significant concern from residents, particularly within the local Islamic community, who fear the body could be that of Marwa Barakzai, a teenager who was reported missing weeks ago.


Police have not released details about the identity of the deceased, and officials say the condition of the body may delay the identification process. Alkadhi said authorities indicated they would need a full medical examination rather than visual identification.

“They couldn’t determine based on looks alone,” he said. “They’ll have to do a medical exam to confirm who it is.”

Alkadhi added that, based on what community members observed at the scene, the body appeared to be that of a young girl. Regardless of the identity, he said, the situation is tragic.

“That’s the last thing you want to hear: that they’ve found a girl recovered from the lake,” he said.

Family members of Marwa Barakzai, including her father, Noor Barakzai, are waiting for confirmation as they continue to hope she is alive.

“We’re hoping that she’s safe, healthy, and warm,” Alkadhi said, adding that the community stands ready to support the family if the outcome is confirmed to be tragic.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/missing-newport-news-teen-has-died-peninsula-islamic-community-center-says/

Missing Newport News teen has died, Peninsula Islamic Community Center says​

The Peninsula Islamic Community Center said in a statement Wednesday a 16-year-old girl who had been missing, Marwa Barakzai, has died.

“On behalf of PICC and the Barakzai family, with deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved young community member, Marwa. May Allah (SWT) grant her Jannat al-Firdaws and give strength and patience to her family during this difficult time. Please keep the family in your duas, respect their privacy, and avoid speculation. Janazah details will be shared soon.”

Naved Jafri with the Islamic Community Center said they learned of Marwa Barakzai’s death from the medical examiner after a review of dental records, via Newport News Police.

“We are grieving now, but the community has unanswered questions and will want answers to how this investigation was conducted and the many assumptions the police made that turned out to be false,” Jafri said. “We will need the media to help us hold people accountable.”

Jafri said a funeral prayer is tenatively planned for sometime Friday afternoon.

Newport News Police said that, out of respect for the family, they didn’t have anything else to release Wednesday evening. NNPD said there would be a press conference Thursday morning with Police Chief Steve Drew and Mayor Phillip Jones.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/tidewater/body-of-missing-16-year-old-girl-found-in-newport-news-lake/

Body of missing 16-year-old girl found in Newport News lake​

Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew confirmed there were no signs of foul play after a missing 16-year-old girl’s body was recovered in a body of water.

In a press conference Thursday morning, Drew says Marwa Barakzai’s body was located April 6 in Mariners’ Lake. Authorities identified her through dental records around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

According to the medical examiner, Barakzai’s body appeared to have been submerged for two-and-half to three weeks.

The cause of death has not yet been determined.

'Many unanswered questions:' Body recovered from Mariners' Lake was missing Newport News teen Marwa Barakzai

The body recovered from Mariners' Lake in Newport News Monday afternoon was Marwa Barakzai, the Menchville High School teen who was reported missing last month.

www.wtkr.com

'Many unanswered questions:' Body recovered from Mariners' Lake was missing Newport News teen Marwa Barakzai​

The body recovered from Mariners' Lake in Newport News Monday afternoon was Marwa Barakzai, the Menchville High School teen who was reported missing last month, Police Chief Steve Drew confirmed Thursday morning in a press conference.

There were no immediate signs of foul play, Drew said, adding that Marwa's remains were consistent of an individual who had been submerged for two-and-a-half to three weeks.

"She was 16 years old with her whole life ahead of her," Jones said. "This is not the outcome that any of us had hoped for."

Drew said he and his team had spoken with the medical examiner, who stressed that there was no sign of struggle, no signs of strangulation, and no signs of sexual assault. Due to the state of her body, they were able to identify her through dental records.