A 15-year-old girl has gone missing from Chicago’s Bronzeville area, according to a new police advisory posted on Saturday. Tatianna Sharkey was last seen in the 4300 block of South Martin Luther King Drive on September 12th.
Sharkey is described by the Chicago Police Department as a 15-year-old Black female who is 6 feet tall and weighs 150 pounds. She has hazel eyes, black hair, a medium brown complexion, and scars on both arms. She was last seen wearing all black attire and silver sandals. Area One police are requesting anyone with information regarding her whereabouts to call 312-747-8380 or 911 in an emergency.
The most recent advice includes Sharkey’s last-seen details and clothes. It is not clear whether she had previously returned home.
According to the Office of Justice Programs, the Area One Detective Division of the CPD is in charge of the investigation. Detectives continue to search for Sharkey’s whereabouts. The Chicago Police Department has assigned the case the number JK409713.
According to Movoto, the 4300 block of South King Drive is listed in their address database.
Illinois law now requires police to respond immediately when a family reports a missing person. According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, the Missing Persons Identification Act, also known as Senate Bill 24, which Governor JB Pritzker signed in August 2025 and went into effect on January 1, 2026, prohibits law enforcement agencies across the state from imposing waiting periods before accepting a missing person report. Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart championed the legislation to standardize how agencies across the state handle these situations.
If a missing person in Illinois is not found within 60 days, law enforcement must gather existing fingerprint records, dental records, pictures, and other biometrics for NamUs, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. Illinois Senate Bill 24 authorizes law enforcement to check a missing person’s fingerprint records in local, state, and national repositories.
According to the Illinois General Assembly, the state also maintains an Endangered Missing Person Advisory program, which is administered by the Illinois State Police and is designed to quickly share information across regional law enforcement, public broadcasters, and transportation networks when a missing person is considered high-risk. Local agencies send out advisories via the ISP’s Springfield Communication Center. Separately, Illinois lawmakers have submitted legislation to establish an Ebony Alert system modeled after a 2024 California regulation, with the goal of sending out particular emergency warnings for missing Black teenagers and young women, according to the Illinois State Association of Counties. Advocates for the plan cite a history of delayed public notice for missing minority youngsters.
According to federal data from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 91 percent of all missing children reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2024 were successfully returned.
Area One investigators are currently concentrating on Sharkey, and anyone with information should contact them immediately.
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