WINCHESTER, CA — Authorities are asking for help finding a 15-year-old girl reported missing from Winchester after the California Highway Patrol activated an Ebony Alert on Oct. 22. The alert was issued on behalf of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office in connection with Kushani Boyd, who was last seen about 9 p.m. Oct. 15.
Boyd was seen near San Remo Drive and Matino Lane in the unincorporated Riverside County community, according to the CHP. As of Oct. 23, she was still listed as missing by the California Department of Justice.
Who authorities say they are looking for
The California Department of Justice describes Boyd as 5 feet, 6 inches tall and about 125 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a black shirt and black pants, according to authorities.
The state’s missing-person listing adds more identifying details, saying Boyd has black and red braids and a sun tattoo on her lower back. Officials identified Oct. 15 as the date of her last contact in Riverside County.
That combination of details has been shared publicly as law enforcement continues to seek tips about where she may be. No additional information about her disappearance was included in the alert information released by authorities.
Why the Ebony Alert was activated
Ebony Alerts are designed to help locate missing Black children and young adults between the ages of 12 and 25 in situations that meet specific criteria. Those can include unexplained disappearances, suspicious circumstances or cases involving someone believed to be at risk.
In this case, the CHP activated the alert on behalf of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. The goal is to widen awareness quickly so members of the public can look out for the missing teen and pass along information that may help investigators.
California uses the alert system as a targeted tool for missing-person cases when authorities believe broad public notification could improve the chances of locating someone safely.
Where Boyd was last seen in Riverside County
Boyd’s last known location was in Winchester, an unincorporated community in Riverside County. Authorities said she was seen near San Remo Drive and Matino Lane shortly before 9 p.m. on Oct. 15.
That location information is now the focus of the search, along with the timeline surrounding her disappearance. The CHP’s alert did not provide a detailed account of how she went missing or where she may have gone after she was last seen.
Because the circumstances remain unclear, officials are relying on the public to help identify any sightings or information connected to the area where she was last known to be.
How the public can help with the search
Anyone who sees Boyd is urged to call 911 right away. Authorities also want people with information about her whereabouts to contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office at 951-955-2450 and reference case No. SW-262950024.
Officials are asking residents to be alert for the teen and to share any information that could help investigators. Even small details about possible sightings, vehicles, or movements around the time she disappeared could be useful to detectives.
Boyd remained listed as missing when the state Department of Justice updated its records on Oct. 23, underscoring that the search was still active after the alert was issued.
What the missing-person listing shows
The California Department of Justice’s missing-person database has become one of the main public references for Boyd’s case. It repeats the identifying features released by law enforcement and notes the last date of contact in Riverside County.
Public listings like this are meant to keep the case visible while officers continue to investigate. In Boyd’s case, the overlap between the CHP alert and the state database shows that multiple agencies are involved in the effort to find her.
For now, authorities have released only limited details and are relying on the community to help fill in the gaps about what happened after she was last seen in Winchester.
