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Missing Child — Active Case — Suspected Human Trafficking

The Disappearance of LaShaya Stine

● Active — Nearly 10 Years Missing Suspected Human Trafficking $15,000 Reward FBI Active Investigation Aurora, Colorado
Missing Person
LaShaya Nae Stine
Age at Disappearance
16 years old
Last Seen
July 15, 2016 — 2:23 a.m. — Aurora, Colorado
Last Known Location
N. Peoria St. and E. Montview Blvd., Aurora
Mother
Sabrina Jones
Lead Agencies
Aurora Police Department; FBI Denver
Reward
$15,000
Case Status
Active — No Arrests — FBI Investigating
The Missing

LaShaya Nae Stine

LaShaya Nae Stine — Missing Since July 15, 2016
Full Name LaShaya Nae Stine
Date of Birth February 8, 2000
Age at Disappearance 16 years old; would be 25 in 2025
Last Seen July 15, 2016 at 2:23 a.m.
Hometown Aurora, Colorado
Height / Weight 5'6" — 150 lbs at time of disappearance
Hair / Eyes Black hair; brown eyes
Distinguishing Quarter-sized round scar on chest
Mother Sabrina Jones

LaShaya Nae Stine was sixteen years old and building toward a future she had planned carefully. She attended George Washington High School in Aurora, where she was an honors student with straight A's. She had been selected by the University of Colorado Hospital for an internship. She was learning to drive. She was applying to colleges. She was planning for prom. She wanted to study nursing.

On the evening of July 15, 2016, LaShaya said goodnight to her mother Sabrina Jones. She said she loved her. She went to her room. She had a job interview at Firehouse Subs scheduled for the next morning. When Sabrina went to wake her daughter for that interview, LaShaya was gone. Her wallet was still there. Her phone charger was still there. Her clothes were still there. Her bedroom window had been left open, as if she had planned to come back.

LaShaya had no history of running away. She was not the kind of teenager who disappeared. She was the kind of teenager who made the honor roll, who earned internships, who said "I love you, mom. Good night," and meant it. Sabrina Jones has said that whatever situation LaShaya was in when she walked out that window, she believes it was bad. She has said she just wants to know. Good or bad. Whatever it is. Just bring her home or tell her what happened to her daughter.

LaShaya Stine is Sabrina's only daughter. Sabrina is the mother of six: five boys and LaShaya. She bakes a birthday cake every February 8. She has never stopped. LaShaya would be 25 years old.

01
Background

What We Know

In the early morning hours of July 15, 2016, LaShaya Stine slipped out of her bedroom window in Aurora, Colorado, and walked away from her home without telling anyone where she was going. She left behind her wallet, her phone charger, her clothing and her money. She left her window open. She was 16 years old.

The last confirmed sighting of LaShaya was captured on surveillance footage at approximately 2:23 a.m. She was seen walking alone near North Peoria Street in the 1600 block, heading toward East Montview Boulevard. She was on foot. She was alone. She has not been seen or heard from since.

Her mother Sabrina believes LaShaya left that night to meet a boy who had become a bad influence. Sabrina believes the meeting that night set off a chain of events that led to her daughter being trafficked. The family has consistently maintained that LaShaya would not have left voluntarily for any extended period; she had a job interview the next morning, a future she was actively building, and a mother she loved and called by name when she said goodnight. She had no history of running away.

Police initially classified LaShaya's case as a runaway, a decision her family disputed. It was approximately a week before the case received the attention they believed it warranted. Surveillance footage was eventually recovered and shared with the family. Her ex-boyfriend and friends were questioned; no suspects emerged and no evidence of foul play was found at that time. Investigators said the trail was difficult to follow from the earliest stages.

Over the years, multiple tips have come in from people who believe they saw LaShaya alive. Several sightings placed a young woman matching her description in motels in areas of Aurora known for sex trafficking activity, appearing to be moved in and out of Colorado into other states. One tipster correctly identified the distinctive quarter-sized scar on her chest without being provided a description. A young woman who had herself escaped from trafficking came forward and claimed to have been with LaShaya. Reported sightings have also placed her in Kansas City, Missouri, and in the states of Kansas, New Mexico and Arizona. None of these sightings led to LaShaya's recovery. As of April 2026, she has not been found.

Case Timeline

How It Unfolded

Night of July 14 into July 15, 2016
LaShaya Says Goodnight and Disappears
LaShaya Stine, 16, says goodnight to her mother Sabrina Jones and goes to her room for the night. She has a job interview scheduled at Firehouse Subs the following morning. In the early hours of July 15, she slips out of her bedroom window without permission. She leaves behind her wallet, money, phone charger, and clothing. Her bedroom window is left open. At approximately 2:23 a.m., surveillance footage from the 1600 block of North Peoria Street captures her walking alone near East Montview Boulevard. She is never seen or heard from again.
July 16, 2016
Family Discovers LaShaya Gone; Initial Police Response
When the family attempts to wake LaShaya for her job interview, she is not in the house. Her phone goes straight to voicemail. Family searches the neighborhood without success. They contact the Aurora Police Department. Police initially treat the case as a runaway, a classification her family disputes. Approximately a week passes before the police chief returns from vacation and the case receives a more thorough review. Surveillance footage from Peoria Street is recovered and eventually shared with the family.
2016 — 2018
Human Trafficking Tips Begin; Sightings Reported
Multiple tips come in from people who believe they saw LaShaya in motels and hotels in areas of Aurora known for sex trafficking activity. A woman who had escaped from trafficking comes forward and claims to have been with LaShaya. Multiple witnesses describe a young woman matching LaShaya's description being moved in and out of Colorado by an unidentified man. One tipster accurately describes the distinctive scar on LaShaya's chest without having been given a physical description. Reported sightings also extend to Kansas City, Missouri, and the states of Kansas, New Mexico and Arizona. Investigators are unable to locate LaShaya at any of the reported locations. Aurora Police announce a $4,000 reward for information.
2019
Age Progression Photo Released; Three-Year Mark
Aurora Police release an age-progressed photo of LaShaya depicting what she may look like several years after her disappearance. The three-year anniversary prompts renewed media coverage and public appeals. Sabrina Jones gives interviews expressing her conviction that LaShaya is alive and being trafficked. Former Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz says he hoped to be able to give Sabrina answers before his retirement and that he could not imagine waking up every day not knowing where his daughter was. The reward is increased to $15,000 across the Aurora Police Department, Metro Denver Crime Stoppers and FBI.
November 2020
FBI and Aurora Police Search Lansing Street Home for Three Days
Aurora Police, assisted by the FBI Evidence Response Team, execute a search at a vacant home at 2200 Lansing Street in Aurora, near the area where LaShaya was last seen walking. Former occupants of the home had known LaShaya at the time of her disappearance. Investigators had to wait for a second family to vacate the property before the search could proceed. Cadaver dogs are deployed. The search lasts approximately three days. Investigators state they found some potential evidence that would be processed and analyzed. No public update on the results of that analysis has been released. No arrests are made.
2022
Sabrina Speaks on LaShaya's 22nd Birthday — Tip Line Goes Quiet
On what would have been LaShaya's 22nd birthday, Sabrina Jones speaks publicly about her daughter. She says she used to be afraid to hear that LaShaya was deceased; now she says she just wants to know what happened, good or bad. She says she believes the trail went cold because LaShaya was trafficked out of state. The most recent credible tip at this point involved a report of LaShaya being spotted at a hotel on East Colfax Avenue in Aurora, but investigators found nothing when they checked the location. Scammers have also approached Sabrina over the years with false information demanding payment, adding further pain to an already devastating search.
July 2024 — April 2026
Eight Years — FBI Reissues Appeal — Case Remains Active
On the eighth anniversary of LaShaya's disappearance, the FBI Denver Office reissues information about her case and renews its public appeal. LaShaya would be 24 years old. The Charley Project updates her age-progression photo to approximately age 25. As of April 2026, LaShaya Stine has been missing for nearly ten years. The case remains active. The FBI continues to investigate. No arrests have been made. The tip line remains open. Sabrina Jones has not stopped looking for her daughter.
03
Law Enforcement

The Investigation

The investigation into LaShaya Stine's disappearance is led by the Aurora Police Department in partnership with the FBI Denver Office. The case was opened in July 2016 and remains active as of April 2026. LaShaya is listed on the FBI's Kidnappings and Missing Persons page and is registered in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Aurora Police assigned case number 2016-28205 to her case.

The early stages of the investigation were hampered by the initial classification of the case as a runaway. That classification meant approximately a week passed before the case received a thorough review. Surveillance footage from near East Montview Boulevard and North Peoria Street was recovered during this period and confirmed LaShaya's movements in the early morning hours of July 15. Her ex-boyfriend and friends were interviewed; no suspects emerged. No physical evidence of foul play was recovered in the immediate aftermath of her disappearance.

As trafficking tips began to arrive, the investigation expanded. Aurora Police collaborated with the FBI on multiple threads. The tips described a young woman matching LaShaya's description being moved between motels in Aurora and transported across state lines. One tip was particularly credible: a person accurately described the distinctive quarter-sized scar on LaShaya's chest without being given any physical description. A survivor of trafficking who came forward claiming to have been with LaShaya was also treated as a significant lead. Despite active follow-up, investigators were unable to locate LaShaya at any of the places described.

In November 2020, Aurora Police and the FBI Evidence Response Team conducted a three-day search at a vacant home at 2200 Lansing Street in Aurora, in the area where LaShaya was last seen. The property had been occupied by people who had known LaShaya at the time of her disappearance. Cadaver dogs were used. Investigators stated they found potential evidence that would be processed and analyzed. No public findings from that analysis have been released. No arrests have been made in connection with the search.

The last credible tip prior to the 2024 anniversary appeal involved a reported sighting of LaShaya at a hotel on East Colfax Avenue in Aurora. When investigators followed up, they found nothing. Sabrina Jones believes the case went cold because LaShaya was moved out of Colorado by traffickers, making the trail harder to follow with each passing year. The FBI has confirmed the investigation remains active. As of April 2026, the tip line has been quiet.

Age Progression Photo — Aurora Police Department
Bring LaShaya Home

Help Find LaShaya

LaShaya Stine has been missing since July 15, 2016. She would be 25 years old. She is Sabrina Jones's only daughter. If you have seen a young woman matching her description, if you know anything about what happened to her on the night she disappeared, or if you have any information about her possible whereabouts across any state, you are being asked to come forward. Tips can be submitted anonymously.

LaShaya has a distinctive quarter-sized round scar on her chest. She is a Black female, 5'6", with brown eyes and black hair that she may wear in a bun, in braids, or covered with a wig. She may have experienced weight loss since her disappearance. Her case is listed with the FBI, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and NamUs.

A combined reward of $15,000 is being offered by the Aurora Police Department, Metro Denver Crime Stoppers and the FBI for information that helps locate LaShaya Stine. No information is too old. No detail is too small.

Aurora Police Department
303-627-3100
Lead agency — APD Case No. 2016-28205
Metro Denver Crime Stoppers
720-913-7867
Anonymous tips accepted — $15,000 combined reward
FBI Denver — Submit a Tip
tips.fbi.gov
Reference: LaShaya Stine — Aurora, Colorado — July 15, 2016
National Human Trafficking Hotline
1-888-373-7888
Text "HELP" or "INFO" to 233733 — Anonymous and confidential
Sources
Denver7 — FBI Continues Investigation 8 Years After LaShaya Stine's Disappearance, July 15, 2024  |  CBS Colorado — Missing Teen Could Be Human Trafficking Victim, 2017  |  Denver Gazette — LaShaya Stine Case: Investigators Find Potential Evidence in Search of Aurora Home, November 2020  |  Denver7 — Aurora Police, FBI Continue LaShaya Stine Investigation at Home in Aurora, November 2020  |  Sentinel Colorado — 5 Years Later, Search for Missing Aurora Teen Continues, July 2021  |  KKTV — Still Missing: 8 Years Later FBI Is Still Looking for LaShaya Stine, July 16, 2024  |  Our Black Girls — LaShaya Stine Missing, 2023  |  The Hue and Cry — The Disappearance of LaShaya Stine  |  Charley Project — LaShaya Nae Stine  |  Crime Noir Podcast — The Mysterious Disappearance of LaShaya Stine, March 2025  |  FBI — LaShaya Stine, Kidnappings and Missing Persons  |  Denver Post — Aurora Teen LaShaya Stine Missing 3 Years, Suspected Trafficking, July 2019
In Memoriam

She Is Not Forgotten

LaShaya Stine was sixteen years old and she had a plan. She had the honor roll. She had an internship at a hospital. She had a job interview in the morning. She told her mother she loved her and said goodnight and she slipped out a window into the dark and she never came back, and that is the fact of it, and it has been the fact of it for nearly ten years now.

Sabrina Jones bakes a birthday cake every February 8. Her daughter would be 25 years old. She has said she has cried enough tears to fill the entire state of Colorado. She has said that at first she was afraid to hear LaShaya was gone. Now she says whatever it is, she just needs to know. She says it with the steadiness of a person who has been repeating this truth to a world that has not answered for a very long time.

LaShaya is Sabrina's only daughter. One of six children. Five boys and her girl, the one who made the honor roll and wanted to be a nurse and said I love you before she went to bed. The one who is still out there somewhere, at 25 years old, in a body that carries a distinctive scar on her chest and a name that her mother has never stopped saying.

If you know where LaShaya Stine is, please tell someone. If you saw something in a motel, on a highway, in a city far from Aurora, please tell someone. She is not forgotten. She is someone's daughter and she has been missing for nearly ten years and she deserves to come home.

LaShaya Nae Stine — Missing Since July 15, 2016
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