Feather Alert deactivated after missing Eureka teen found safe

Dan’des’ne Moorehead was found safe and reunited with his family, and officials canceled the Feather Alert that had been issued for the 14-year-old McKinleyville boy.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said Moorehead was reported missing by his father on May 10 at about 8:11 a.m. He had last been seen two days earlier, around 9:30 p.m. on May 8, at his apartment in McKinleyville. Investigators later said he may have left during the night or early morning hours of May 9, and he was possibly seen the morning of May 10 in the 1100 block of Broadway Street in Eureka, near the area of W. Clark St. and Summer St. where the alert had focused public attention.

Moorehead was described as Native American, 5-foot-7, 120 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, blue jeans and camouflage Nike Air Force 1 shoes. The County of Humboldt said he was located on May 13 and safely reunited with his family, and the California Highway Patrol confirmed the alert had been deactivated.

The Feather Alert is California’s emergency system for missing Indigenous people. The CHP says it is used in suspicious or unexplainable disappearances of Indigenous women or Indigenous people when law enforcement believes the person may be in danger. The program was authorized by Assembly Bill 1314, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, and began Jan. 1, 2023.

In Humboldt County, the alert’s quick spread reflected how missing Indigenous people can draw urgent public notice across cities, tribal communities and rural neighborhoods. The CHP says residents who have information should call 911 immediately, and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office asked anyone with additional information about the case or possible criminal activity to contact the agency after the alert was canceled.