Gallup police seek missing 14-year-old Alexander Westman

Gallup police are asking for the public’s help finding 14-year-old Alexander Ryan Westman, who was last seen before midnight June 1 after leaving his residence in Gallup. His disappearance has put McKinley County families on alert as officers and neighbors try to piece together where he may have gone and who may have seen him last.

Westman is about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs around 150 pounds. He has brown eyes and copper or auburn hair, described in the state missing-person listing as short and spiked. The listing also says he has scars on his left forearm. Police did not have a clothing description when the report was filed.

A note attached to the alert says Westman may be hanging out with friends, which means people in Gallup and nearby communities should think back to evening and overnight hours around the start of the week for any sighting of a teen matching his description. Anyone who saw him walking, riding in a car, or spending time with peers should pass that information along immediately rather than assuming someone else already reported it. The New Mexico Department of Public Safety says people with information can call the Missing Persons Information Clearinghouse hotline at 1-800-457-3463. The Gallup Police Department is also collecting tips.

The case comes amid a cluster of missing-juvenile notices in the Gallup area, including another youth alert during the same week. For McKinley County residents, that raises hard questions about whether families are facing repeated disappearances, whether there are gaps in transportation or supervision, and how quickly information moves between households, schools, and law enforcement when a child is not where they are supposed to be. New Mexico’s clearinghouse serves as the central repository for missing-person reports and is used by law enforcement agencies, including tribal agencies, across the state.

State officials also note that New Mexico’s Turquoise Alert can be used for a missing person who is enrolled in, or eligible for enrollment in, a federally or state-recognized Indian nation, tribe or pueblo and who meets the law’s risk criteria. Nationally, missing-child cases are often resolved, but the first hours matter: the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention says 29,568 reports of missing children were handled by National Center for Missing & Exploited Children partners in 2024, and 91 percent of children reported missing were recovered safely.