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Philadelphia authorities recently announced on Wednesday, June 14, that they are still searching for Shalaya Porter (18), last seen on June 5 near her grandmother's home on the 4600 block of Fairmount Avenue. The missing teen was supposed to graduate from her high school on June 9.
Currently, there have been no arrests made, nor have authorities disclosed any possibility of foul play in Shalaya Porter's disappearance case. However, her relatives have reportedly told reporters that the teen had not showed any signs of running away.
Porter was described by Philadelphia authorities as an African-American female who stands 5 foot 6 and 120 pounds with brown eyes, black hair, and a nose piercing. She is known to routinely use public transportation around the city.
The timeline of the disappearance of Shalaya Porter
According to authorities, Shalaya Porter's family reported her missing after they found her phone on her bed on June 5. They became further concerned on June 9, as the 18-year-old missed her graduation, leading her relatives to believe that she may have been held against her will.
In an interview, Shalaya Porter's mother, Kaleia Porter, described the moment she made the tragic discovery of her 18-year-old missing:
“I sat on the couch and called her phone, and that’s when I realized that something is not right. Her phone is here, but she’s not," the mother stated.
Shalaya Porter's aunt, Felicia Hill, expressed her concern to NBC reporters:
"Shalaya would have never missed her graduation. Shalaya would have never missed the opportunity to go to college. Shalaya would have never left her mom."
On Tuesday, June 13, at 3:00 pm, members of the local community gathered for a joint search effort at the Motivation High School on 59th Street and Baltimore Avenue. At the gathering, Kaleia Porter spoke out about her daughter, who's her only child, to the crowd:
“My daughter is a beautiful, wonderful, smart, intelligent, young lady."
She added in another interview:
“I need her back home. She’s got a bright future ahead of her. … Just bring my baby home.”
As part of the search effort, many members of the local community have posted news of Shalaya's disappearance on Facebook. Her mother is also handing out flyers in the area to raise awareness. Kaleia Porter described the harrowing effort, stating:
“I’ve been out here at corner to corner passing out flyers, handing them all around the city. I made over 2,000."
Authorities have released no further details about the incident. Kaleia Porter said in the interview with Audacy that she will provide a cash reward for anyone who can provide information on the teen's whereabouts.
