Case of Phoenix girl who went missing in 1994 solved

PHOENIX – The case of a Phoenix girl who went missing more than two decades ago has been solved.

“Even after 20-plus years, happy outcomes can come,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Armando Carbajal told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday.

An infant named Aleacia Stancil was reported missing in 1995, although she actually disappeared in December 1994, Carbajal said.

No progress was made in the case at the time.

According to media reports, Aleacia’s mother had left her in the care of a friend, and the mother died before she was able to retrieve the girl.

In 2008, Carbajal said, cold-case detectives reviewed the case with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Family members were contacted and DNA samples were taken to develop a profile. Age-progression photos were created and a media campaign was launched.

But the case again went cold.

Then in 2016, Phoenix Police was contacted by a woman who said she’d recently learned she had been adopted at a young age. She said she’d seen media reports about the missing Phoenix girl, with whom she would have been the same age.

“So she called Phoenix Police detectives and said, ‘Hey, there’s a possibility that I may be Aleacia Stancil,’” Carbajal said.

Using DNA analysis, investigators confirmed she was indeed the missing girl.

There were no signs of criminal activity, and the case was closed.

“This was obviously an outstanding example of how Phoenix Police detectives and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children work together, and that no case is ever put on the shelf,” Carbajal said. “It’s continuously worked and all leads are aggressively sought after until they can be resolved.”

Carbajal said the 24-year-old woman wishes to remain anonymous and maintain her privacy.

“She doesn’t want it to interfere with her life, but she has indicated that she’s happy that she was able to find out who she was,” he said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Mark Carlson contributed to this report.

Follow @KTAR923