WEST DES MOINES – An Iowa teen girl appears to have run away days ago, carrying a backpack, and police are seeking clues as to brining her home safely.
West Des Moines Police are asking for the public’s help locating a missing person. Scarlett McBee (age 13, pictured at top) was last seen around 9:00 PM February 12, 2026, in the 2200 block of EP True Parkway. She is a white female, 5’ 06”, weighs about 100 pounds. She has blue eyes and black hair. She was wearing a black and white sweatshirt, red Adidas sweatpants. She had a black and red backpack with her.
Investigators report McBee’s absence appears to be voluntary but ask for the public’s help as they continue looking for her. Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is asked to call your local law enforcement agency.
UPDATE: The 13-year-old girl reported missing to West Des Moines Police has been found unharmed in St. Joseph, Missouri. Investigators believe she went there voluntarily and was found with people she knows. Police are working to reunite her with family who live in the Des Moines area.
“We obviously have questions about how she got all the way down there,” said Sgt. Dan Wade of the WDM police. “Our detectives will continue to look for these answers but there is no indication she was victimized. This looks to be a completely voluntary trip to see some of her friends.”