ENGLEWOOD, CO – Authorities are asking for the public’s help locating a 17-year-old Indigenous teenager who was last seen Wednesday morning in Englewood, prompting the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to issue a missing Indigenous person alert.
Tyrain Willow, a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, was last seen around 7 a.m. near South Broadway and Eastman Avenue in Englewood. The Englewood Police Department is leading the investigation and urging anyone with information to come forward.
Willow is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing approximately 120 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a distinctive white-and-black Los Angeles Dodgers hat, black jacket, black shirt, gold or tan pants, and white shoes. He may also be wearing an earring in his right ear.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s decision to issue a missing Indigenous person alert reflects growing recognition of the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Indigenous people across the United States. Native Americans face some of the highest rates of violence and disappearance in the country, with many cases receiving insufficient attention from law enforcement and media.
The Englewood Police Department has made locating Willow a priority and is coordinating with tribal authorities and state agencies to expand the search. Officers have been canvassing the area where he was last seen and reviewing surveillance footage from nearby businesses.
Anyone with information regarding Tyrain Willow’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Englewood Police Department immediately at 303-761-7410. Authorities emphasize that even seemingly minor details could prove crucial to the investigation.
The missing Indigenous person alert system was established to address the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people, though it applies to all Native Americans. Advocates have long criticized law enforcement agencies for failing to adequately investigate disappearances of Indigenous people with the same urgency applied to other cases.
Colorado has taken steps in recent years to improve response to missing Indigenous persons, including enhanced coordination between tribal, local, state, and federal authorities. The state is home to two federally recognized tribes, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, though many Indigenous people from various tribes reside throughout Colorado.
Willow’s disappearance comes amid heightened awareness of the crisis affecting Indigenous communities nationwide. Family members and community advocates continue to push for greater resources and attention to missing persons cases involving Native Americans.
The investigation remains active, and authorities are following all leads. Police ask that anyone who may have seen Willow or has information about his disappearance contact investigators immediately, regardless of how insignificant the information may seem.
