Disappearance of Heaven Desiree McGee
Two girls. Two different states. Two families who reported them missing quickly, called every hotline, stood in front of every camera that would point their way, and yet as of the day I'm recording this, neither one has come home.
Most episodes of this show, I give you one case per episode. Today, I'm doing something different. I'm giving you two. Not because they're connected. They’re not connected as far as anyone knows. We’re talking different states, different years, and different circumstances. I'm putting them in the same episode because neither one has gotten the coverage they deserve.
The first case is a twenty-one-year-old woman named Heaven Desiree McGee, who disappeared from Stockton, California, in January of 2025. The FBI reportedly believes she's a victim of human trafficking.
The other case is a thirteen-year-old girl named Ja'Niyah McMichael, who disappeared from Gary, Indiana, in August of 2024. Investigators believe she may be the victim of foul play.
Photo Credits: FBI
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ABC7 Chicago. "FBI, Gary, Indiana Police Believe Ja'Niyah McMichael, Missing Girl Who Disappeared in August 2024, May Be Victim of Foul Play." ABC7 Chicago, 29 Apr. 2025, abc7chicago.com/post/fbi-gary-indiana-police-believe-janiyah-mcmichael-missing-girl-disappeared-august-2024-may-victim-foul-play/16279482/.
ABC7 Chicago. "FBI and Gary, Indiana Offering $20K for Information in Case of Ja'Niyah McMichael, Missing Girl." ABC7 Chicago, 29 Apr. 2025, abc7chicago.com/post/fbi-gary-indiana-offering-20k-information-case-janiyah-mcmichael-missing-girl/16272771/.
ABC7 Chicago. "Missing Teen: 13-Year-Old Girl Ja'Niyah McMichael from Gary, Indiana, Missing for Nearly 2 Months, Family Says; FBI Investigating." ABC7 Chicago, 8 Oct. 2024, abc7chicago.com/post/missing-teen-13-year-old-girl-janiyah-mcmichael-gary-indiana-2-months-family-says-fbi-investigating/15396785/.
Black and Missing Foundation, Inc. "How the Black and Missing Foundation Founders Are Changing the Way Missing Persons Cases Are Covered." BAMFI, 27 May 2026, blackandmissinginc.com/how-the-black-and-missing-foundation-founders-are-changing-the-way-missing-persons-cases-are-covered/.
Brown, Stacy M. "After 13 Years, Black and Missing Foundation Still Searching for Thousands of Missing People of Color." BlackPressUSA, 23 Sept. 2021, blackpressusa.com/after-13-years-black-and-missing-foundation-still-searching-for-thousands-of-missing-people-of-color/.
CBS News. "FBI Joins Search for 13-Year-Old Ja'Niyah McMichael, Missing Since August from Gary, Indiana." CBS News Chicago, 2024, cbsnews.com/chicago/news/janiyah-mcmichael-missing-gary-indiana.
CBS News. "FBI, City of Gary Offering $20K Reward for Information on Missing Teen Last Seen in August." CBS News Chicago, 29 Apr. 2025, cbsnews.com/chicago/news/20000-dollar-reward-missing-janiyah-mcmichael-indiana/.
CBS News. "Missing Oakland Woman Last Seen in Stockton Believed to Be Sex Trafficking Victim." CBS News San Francisco, 26 June 2025, cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/heaven-mcgee-oakland-woman-missing-last-seen-stockton.
Coalition for the Murdered and Missing. "The Disappearance of Heaven Desiree McGee." Coalition for the Murdered and Missing, updated 20 Mar. 2026, coalitionforthemurderedandmissing.org/the-disappearance-of-heaven-desiree-mcgee/.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. "FBI and Gary Police Seek Help Locating Missing Gary Teen." FBI Indianapolis Field Office, 30 Apr. 2025, fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/indianapolis/news/fbi-and-gary-police-seek-help-locating-missing-gary-teen.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Heaven Desiree McGee." FBI Wanted, fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/heaven-desiree-mcgee.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Ja'Niyah McMichael." FBI Wanted, fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/janiyah-mcmichael.
Fox 32 Chicago. "Ja'Niyah McMichael: $30K Reward Offered in Search for Gary Teen Who Went Missing One Year Ago." Fox 32 Chicago, 12 Aug. 2025, fox32chicago.com/news/janiyah-mcmichael-missing-gary-teen.
Gary.gov. "City of Gary and FBI Offer $20,000 Reward in Search for Missing Teen Ja'Niyah McMichael." City of Gary Police News, 28 Apr. 2025, gary.gov/gary-police-news/city-of-gary-and-fbi-offer-20-000-reward-in-search-for-missing-teen-janiyah-mcmichael.
Gary.gov. "Gary Police, FBI Mark Anniversary of Ja'Niyah McMichael's Disappearance." City of Gary Police News, 13 Aug. 2025, gary.gov/gary-police-news/gary-police-fbi-mark-anniversary-of-janiyah-mcmichaels-disappearance.
Gary.gov. "Update on the Case of Missing Child Ja'Niyah McMichael." City of Gary News and Updates, 5 Oct. 2024, gary.gov/news-updates/update-case-missing-child-janiyah-mcmicheal.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. "Have You Seen This Child? Ja'Niyah McMichael." NCMEC, missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/2031789/1.
NewsNation. "$20K Offered in Search for Missing Indiana Teen Ja'Niyah McMichael." NewsNation, 30 Apr. 2025, newsnationnow.com/missing/gary-indiana-janiyah-mcmichael-missing-reward/.
Northwest Indiana Times. "Family Searches for Teen, 13, Missing for More Than 2 Weeks." NWI Times, 23 July 2025 [orig. Aug. 2024], nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/gary/family-pleads-safe-return-missing-janiyah-mcmichael/article_8c0f22e0-63df-11ef-aaa0-c726e73e2bf2.html.
Northwest Indiana Times. "Search for Missing Gary Teen Ongoing; Detectives Secured Search Warrant, City Says." NWI Times, 23 July 2025 [orig. Oct. 2024], nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/news-local-crime-courts-missing-gary-teen-search-janiyah-mcmichael/article_f4b0c0f8-8354-11ef-964b-4b1f9a1eaaa5.html.
Patch (Livermore, CA). "Missing Oakland Woman Last Seen In Stockton Believed To Be Sex Trafficking Victim." Patch, 26 June 2025, patch.com/california/livermore/missing-oakland-woman-last-seen-stockton-believed-be-sex-trafficking-victim.
State of California Department of Justice. "Heaven Desiree McGee." Office of the Attorney General Missing Persons, oag.ca.gov/missing/person/heaven-desiree-mcgee.
The Charley Project. "Heaven Desiree McGee." The Charley Project, updated 23 Jan. 2026, charleyproject.org/case/heaven-desiree-mcgee.
The Charley Project. " Ja’Niyah Aubrielle McMichael." The Charley Project, updated 26 Dec. 2025, charleyproject.org/case/janiyah-aubrielle-mcmichael