The Missing 
Ariyah Garcia-Smith
Staten Island, NY

💔 Family’s Worst Nightmare: A Mother’s Endless Search for Her Missing Daughter 🙏 

Lateefah Smith, a heartbroken mother in Staten Island, New York, continues to search for her daughter, Ariyah Garcia-Smith, whose disappearance has left her family desperate for answers and clinging to hope. She remembers seeing the 12-year-old Ariyah the morning she left for work, June 1, 2024, believing it was just another ordinary day. Her daughter never told her she was unhappy at home, making her sudden disappearance even more devastating.

As investigators looked deeper into Ariyah’s life, troubling details began to emerge. According to her mother, Ariyah had allegedly been groomed online by an unidentified older man for more than a year. The disturbing situation first came to light shortly after Ariyah started sixth grade when Lateefah walked into her daughter’s room in the middle of the night and found her speaking with someone on a Department of Education laptop while the person’s face remained blurred during a video chat. Alarmed, she immediately reported the incident to school officials, who contacted police. Investigators later told the family the individual appeared to be using what they described as a burner phone, making it difficult to trace who was communicating with the young girl.

Hoping a fresh start would help, Lateefah transferred Ariyah to another school. But after her disappearance, entries found in her journal suggested she had been struggling emotionally in ways she had never shared with her family. On the day she vanished, her phone last pinged near Mariner’s Harbor, not far from an area where the family had once lived years earlier. Since then, every possible lead has only intensified the desperate search.

Lateefah has spent countless evenings riding the Staten Island Ferry, searching neighborhoods, checking local businesses, and doing everything she can think of to bring Ariyah home. Those who knew Ariyah remember her as a sweet, kind-hearted young girl who never caused trouble and always greeted people with a smile.

The family’s ordeal became even more complicated after child welfare authorities visited the home following allegations made by another student. Lateefah has firmly denied all accusations of abuse or neglect, saying she has cooperated with investigators while remaining focused on the only thing that truly matters, finding her daughter.

Ariyah Garcia-Smith is described as a Black and Hispanic girl standing approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing about 165 pounds. She has black hair, brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a black shirt, multicolored shorts, and black sneakers. Her loved ones continue to pray for the day she walks back through the front door.

With every passing day, Lateefah continues to beg anyone who may know something to come forward. “Whoever has my daughter,” she says, “please let her go. Let her come home.” 

Anyone with information about Ariyah Garcia-Smith’s whereabouts is urged to contact the New York City Police Department at 212-694-7781 and share this post. Help reunite a mother with the daughter she has never stopped searching for. 💜🙏

Sources:
Missing Person / NamUs #MP137095 | NamUs
Heartbroken mother shares chilling red flags before daughter, 12, vanished
Have you seen this child? Ariyah Jacquelin Garcia-Smith