National organization assisting in the search for the missing Indianapolis teen

Indianapolis, Indiana – Since February 23rd, Shariah Williams has not been seen or heard from. The North Central High School student was last seen in her bedroom on the day in question, and she did not come back to her house.

“Shariah is smart, she is funny, she is just so silly, she’s artistic, she’s so creative,” said Shariah’s mother, Alisha Hollowell.

Saturday afternoon, Hollowell and a few other people were handing out flyers in the area around North Central High School that featured a picture of Shariah.

Williams is considered to be a runaway by missing persons detectives with the IMPD, but they assert that she is not in any immediate danger.

“We have to remember here, she’s a minor, she’s 17 years old, so she’s still under the care and custody of her mother, and if they believe she’s safe, have they seen her? Have they spoken to her?” Asked Natalie Wilson, Co-Founder of the Black and Missing Foundation.

The non-profit organization was established 15 years ago with the purpose of bringing awareness to cases of missing persons involving people of color, which do not typically receive a lot of attention in the media.

“If I asked any of your viewers to name a person of color that has garnered national media coverage, they can’t. But we can all name the Natalie Holloways, the Chandra Levys, the Gabby Petitos,” Wilson said.

Hollowell claims that she struggles every day with the knowledge that her daughter is missing and that even hearing that her daughter is safe is not enough to put her mind at ease.

“Never give up on your children, you just keep going and pushing and going strong for your children no matter what,” she said.

If you have any information on Shariah, you are encouraged to call the police; alternatively, you may report the information to the Black and Missing Foundation in an anonymous manner.