Jenny Din was last seen in Florence, Ky., on Friday, March 13
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Jenny-Din-Boone-County-Sheriffs-Office-031426-51a18a8d4f8c4383921270e3a05eb2e5.jpg "Jenny Din, Missing 9-year-old girl")
Credit: Boone County Sheriff’s Office, KY/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- Authorities in Kentucky have issued an IAN alert for Jenny Din following her disappearance on Friday, March 13
- Din, 9, who is non-verbal and has autism, was last seen wearing a mint-blue jacket, pink headphones and no shoes
- The public has been urged to check warm, enclosed spaces as her family believes she may be seeking warmth and shelter
Authorities in Kentucky are appealing for the public's assistance in locating a missing child.
On Friday, March 13, the Kentucky State Police (KSP) issued an IAN alert for Jenny Din, a 9-year-old girl who is autistic and non-verbal. The alert system is specifically for missing children under the age of 18 with autism or mental illness who are in potential danger.
Din was last seen walking on MacIntosh Lane in Florence at approximately 5 p.m. local time on Friday, the Boone County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) said in a news release shared on Facebook.
She is described as Asian, 4 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 53 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Credit: Boone County Sheriff’s Office, KY/Facebook
Din was last seen wearing a mint-blue jacket with no shoes, pink headphones and she has pierced ears.
BCSO Lt. Anthony Theetge said that Din’s family believes she may have gone to a “warm, contained area” and they are asking people to “check anywhere someone may be looking to get warm,” WCPO 9 News reported.
The KSP is asking anyone with any knowledge of Din’s whereabouts or disappearance to contact them at 859-428-1212 or call 911.
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Credit: Boone County Sheriff’s Office, KY/Facebook
Kentucky's first IAN alert was issued for 5-year-old Silas Chearer in July 2025, who was later found dead after wandering away from his home in Hart County.
The alert was named after 9-year-old Ian Sousis, an autistic child who was found dead in the Ohio River in 2022. Sousis had been reported missing from the Northern Kentucky Children's Home in Covington, per WCPO 9 News.
"Like in the Amber Alert notification system, part of the basis for using the statewide alert system is that if someone's in a vehicle or someone is traveling on an interstate, they can cover a lot of ground very quickly," Kentucky Emergency Management Director Steve Hensley told WCPO 9 News. "So this is the most efficient way to get out the alerts on a broader scale.”
The KSP and BCSO did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further comment regarding Jenny Din's disappearance.
