Turquoise Alert issued for missing San Juan County person, video shared

State police and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office asked the public to help find Keevan Judist Tsosie, a 16-year-old last seen April 7 in Aztec. The search was elevated to a Turquoise Alert, and video footage was shared to widen the effort across San Juan County and beyond.

A Turquoise Alert is New Mexico’s statutory alert for missing Indigenous persons. State law says it applies when the missing person is an enrolled member, or eligible for enrollment, in a federally or state-recognized Indian nation, tribe or pueblo, and the person is missing under involuntary, unexplained or suspicious circumstances while facing a safety or health risk, or a mental or physical disability or substance use disorder. In the most serious cases, the alert can also be pushed through the federal Integrated Public Alert and Warning System when there is evidence of imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death and enough descriptive information to help locate the person.

New Mexico residents began receiving mobile alerts for Silver and Turquoise cases in July 2025, giving the state a faster way to spread a missing-person description, last known location and vehicle information when available. Tsosie is listed as an American Indian/Alaskan Native male, 5 feet 5 inches tall and 150 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. His missing-person listing also describes braces on his lower teeth, a scar on his left elbow, and clothing reported as a white shirt, gray sweatpants and black-and-white shoes.

Anyone with information about Tsosie’s whereabouts is urged to contact the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office at 505-334-6107. The New Mexico Department of Public Safety says its Missing Persons Clearinghouse works with law enforcement, the media and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to keep public information current as searches continue.

San Juan County has recently seen how quickly these cases can turn. On March 19, the sheriff’s office announced that a missing county child had been found alive and well in California after a multi-state investigation tied to a custodial interference case. The current search for Tsosie now joins that larger regional response network, with officers relying on public eyes, fast reporting and the alert system to bring him home.