Turquoise Alert canceled for 6-year-old girl last seen at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
Arizona's first Turquoise Alert was issued on Wednesday for a 6-year-old girl last seen at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. It was canceled Thursday.
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PHOENIX — Arizona’s first Turquoise Alert, which was issued for a missing 6-year-old girl last seen at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport earlier in July, has been canceled after she was found safe.
Violet Coultas initially went missing at the Phoenix airport at 10:01 p.m. on July 12, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS).
She was last seen with her mother Sarah, who is 48. DPS said Sarah was believed to have fled Hawaii for Arizona with Violet in violation of a court order.
Around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, the FBI informed the Cottonwood Police Department that the mother and daughter were in their control.
A Thursday update from the Hawaii Police Department said Sarah and Violet were both found safe in Cottonwood by Cottonwood Police Department officers early Thursday morning.
Cottonwood Police took care of Violet until Arizona Department of Child Safety officers arrived to take custody of the child.
Sarah was taken into custody without incident, Hawaii Police said. She remains in custody and is pending extradition to Hawaii, authorities added.
Arizona’s first Turquoise Alert had ties to Hawaii
The alert was activated on behalf of the Hawaii Police Department, which said Wednesday’s alert was the first Turquoise Alert ever issued in Arizona.
Gov. Katie Hobbs signed legislation to create the statewide notification system in May. It’s known as “Emily’s Law” in honor of Emily Pike, a teen girl who was a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe.
In February, Pike’s remains were found more than 100 miles from a Mesa group home she left in late January, according to the Associated Press.
Turquoise Alerts are issued when a missing person is under the age of 65, local law enforcement has exhausted all available resources, the person is believed to be in danger or in the company of someone potentially dangerous, and the circumstances surrounding the disappearance are unexplained or suspicious.
This is an updated version of a story originally published on July 23, 2025.
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Comments
3 Comments
Unless there is reason to believe a child's life or health is in danger, there is no reason for getting everyone riled up with an Amber Alert or now Turquoise Alert because of a custody dispute between divorced or estranged parents. Law enforcement should handle them as the routine matters that they are.
Perhaps the child was better off or wanted to be with her MOTHER. Court orders may be legal, but may not always be fair. We don't know the entire story yet.
Yesterday i looked up what a turquoise alert was since i never heard of it. This is what i got.
Per a fact sheet on the bill that was published by the legislature, HB 2281 would establish the Turquoise Alert System as a way to issue and coordinate alerts for a missing tribal member who under the age of 65, or has a developmental disability, Alzheimer's Disease or dementia.
Apparently Tribes weren’t able to use the other colored alerts for jurisdictional reasons?