McKinley County sheriff’s office seeks help finding missing teen

The McKinley County Sheriff’s Office is asking residents to help find 17-year-old Malcom Beyuka, a Native American boy described as 5-foot-6, about 130 pounds, with brown eyes and short black hair. The most important detail for the public is simple: if you have seen Beyuka or know where he may be, call McKinley County Metro Dispatch at (505) 979-7242.

State records list the missing juvenile as Malcolm Julian Beyuka and say he was last seen on May 22, 2026, in Gallup, New Mexico. That last-known location gives the case a clear anchor in the county seat, where traffic, school routes, neighborhoods, and nearby roads can all become relevant when a teen disappears. The alert does not add a fuller account of where he was headed or what happened before he was reported missing, making community tips the key tool investigators are relying on now.

For McKinley County, the urgency is sharpened by geography. The county’s estimated population was 68,945 in July 2024, spread across a large area that includes Gallup, Gamerco, and surrounding communities. In a place that large, even a small lead can matter, especially when a missing teen may have moved between town, outlying neighborhoods, or roads leading beyond Gallup.

New Mexico’s Department of Public Safety says it serves as the state Missing Persons Clearinghouse, the central repository for missing-person information in New Mexico. The department also says the state’s Turquoise Alert system was created for cases involving missing Indigenous persons. That framework matters here because Beyuka is identified as Native American, and rapid, wide public notice is one of the few tools that can push a fresh lead before time makes it harder to trace where he was last seen.

The Beyuka alert also fits a pattern in McKinley County, where the sheriff’s office has repeatedly turned to the public in juvenile missing-person cases. Recent local coverage showed a similar appeal for 17-year-old Alyssa F. Becenti, underscoring how often authorities in and around Gallup ask residents to watch closely and pass along credible sightings quickly. In a county where a single call can change the direction of a search, the first few days can be decisive.