Missing Hilo Girl, 12, Located Safe After Tuesday Morning Disappearance

Selah Matthews, a 12-year-old Hilo girl reported missing Tuesday morning, was located in good health later that same day, according to an official update from the Hawai'i Police Department.

Matthews had last been seen at approximately 6:30 a.m. on the 400 block of Kehaulani Street, wearing a dark-colored sweater, blue jean pants, and a tan-colored backpack. She stands 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 90 pounds. Although reported initially as a runaway, HPD simultaneously classified her as "endangered," a standard designation the department applies to juvenile runaways aged 13 and under, recognizing the acute vulnerability of young children on their own.

The case was assigned to HPD's Area I Juvenile Aid Section, the Hilo-based unit that handles all runaway and missing child investigations across East Hawaii. That section can be reached at (808) 961-8843. The department's non-emergency line is (808) 935-3311, and tips can also be submitted by texting "TIP HAWAIIPD" followed by a message to 888777.

Tuesday's swift outcome offered relief, but Matthews' case reflects a persistent and documented problem in Hilo. In January 2026, police searched for 13-year-old Eva Napoleon, also classified as endangered. In October 2025, they sought 16-year-old Davan Ahnee-Makekau under the same designation. A 2022 Hawaii Tribune-Herald analysis found that from 2018 to 2021, Hawaii Island recorded 182 cases of missing Native Hawaiian girls, more than any other racial group on the island, with Hilo-area children aged 15 to 17 representing the highest concentration of cases islandwide.

The stakes in cases that do not resolve quickly are severe. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, more than 29,000 children were reported missing nationwide in 2024. One in seven of those were likely victims of child sex trafficking, a figure that rises to 18% among children who had run from child welfare care. In October 2025, a multi-agency effort called Operation Shine the Light recovered 10 endangered missing youth on Oahu, ranging from 13 to 18 years old.

Matthews' case closed in hours. The pattern of cases it joins has not.