Missing 9-Year-Old Tristan King Found Safe After Six Months in Baltimore

Tristan King was nine years old when he disappeared from Baltimore's Brooklyn neighborhood on September 24, 2025. He was still nine when Baltimore Police Department officers found him on the morning of March 13, 2026, at a residence in the Curtis Bay area, less than two miles from where he had last been seen.

The recovery came after a tip reached the BPD's Missing Persons Unit, which had been working the case as part of a coordinated multi-agency investigation involving local, state, and federal resources, including the U.S. Marshals Service. After locating Tristan, officers transported him to an area hospital, where he received both medical and psychological evaluations.

"I share the relief and gratitude of all of the Baltimoreans who have hoped and prayed for Tristan's safe return for months," Mayor Brandon M. Scott said in a statement. "I want to thank the Baltimore Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and all our partners who worked tirelessly to bring Tristan home, as well as the community members who came forward with information to help investigators."

Clinton J. Fuchs, U.S. Marshal for the District of Maryland, credited the BPD directly: "We are extremely proud of the Baltimore Police Department and grateful for their extraordinary efforts in locating and safely recovering this nine-year-old child."

Governor Wes Moore issued a statement that carried both relief and a sharp edge of accountability. "Today, Maryland breathes a prayer of relief that Tristan King has been found after months of fear, heartbreak, and uncertainty," Moore said. "We owe Tristan action, not excuses, and we will keep working to make sure no child falls through the cracks like this again."

That last line carries weight beyond the usual political boilerplate. The Baltimore Banner, as relayed by CBS Baltimore, reported that the Maryland Department of Human Services originally lost King, and that the agency will determine where Tristan goes next. That claim has not been confirmed independently by BPD or the mayor's office, and officials have declined to release additional details to protect Tristan's privacy and the integrity of the active investigation.

What is confirmed: the investigation is ongoing, and potential charges are pending against individuals who may have helped conceal Tristan or obstruct law enforcement. No names or formal charges had been announced as of March 13. The proximity of the recovery site to where Tristan went missing, less than two miles by most accounts, makes the question of what or who kept him hidden there for nearly six months the central thread investigators are now pulling.