AVONDALE, Arizona — A desperate search is underway for 3-year-old Kehlani Marie Rogers, snatched from her home in the dead of night and now believed to be in extreme danger after police identified 23-year-old Marina Noriega as the prime suspect in her abduction.

The nightmare began late Friday night, February 20, 2026, when Kehlani was last seen by her parents at their residence near 118th Avenue and Edgemont Street in Avondale. The toddler was put to bed wearing pink pajamas, her hair in braids, innocent and safe in her own home. Sometime after 11:30 p.m., she vanished.

By Saturday morning, panic set in. An Amber Alert exploded across Arizona and beyond, flashing Kehlani’s photo and description: a 3-year-old Black girl, last seen in pink pajamas, believed abducted by an unrelated adult female. Authorities warned she could be in grave danger.

Then came the bombshell breakthrough.

Acting on a flood of tips from the public, Avondale Police detectives zeroed in on Marina Noriega, 23, as the primary suspect. Surveillance footage from a local business in Maricopa, Arizona, delivered the chilling proof: Noriega and little Kehlani were captured on camera together on Saturday, February 21. The grainy images show the pair walking side by side — the tiny girl in updated clothing described as purple pajamas with multicolor smiley faces, Noriega in a black and white tank top paired with pink fuzzy pants.

That CCTV clip is now the last confirmed sighting of Kehlani alive and unharmed. Police released stills from the footage, showing Noriega’s face clearly and Kehlani clinging close — a haunting image that has sent chills through the community and ignited nationwide fear for the child’s safety.

“This is every parent’s worst nightmare,” one detective said in a tense press briefing. “A 3-year-old girl taken from her bed in the middle of the night by someone she may not even know. We believe her life is in immediate danger. Time is critical.”

Noriega is described as a white female, approximately 5 feet 1 inch tall, around 100 pounds, with long brown hair often worn in a ponytail and hazel eyes. She was last seen in Maricopa with Kehlani, but her current whereabouts remain unknown. Authorities say she is not a relative and has no known connection to the family that would explain the abduction.

The motive remains a mystery. Police have not released details about how Noriega allegedly gained access to the home or whether she had any prior contact with the family. Neighbors reported no unusual activity Friday night, no signs of forced entry, leaving investigators to piece together a timeline that grows more terrifying with each passing hour.

An Amber Alert remains active across Arizona and neighboring states, with billboards, highway signs, and mobile alerts urging anyone who sees Kehlani or Noriega to call 911 immediately. The Arizona Department of Public Safety and Avondale Police are working around the clock, following every lead, chasing every tip. The public has responded in force — hundreds of calls have flooded tip lines since the suspect’s identity was released Saturday evening.

Kehlani’s family is shattered. Relatives described the little girl as a bright, joyful child who loved to play and smile. “She’s just a baby,” one family member said through tears. “She doesn’t understand any of this. We just want her home safe.”

As night falls on the second day of the search, fear grips the Valley. Every black and white tank top, every pink fuzzy pant leg, every small child in purple pajamas draws frantic double-takes. The CCTV image of Kehlani walking hand-in-hand with her alleged captor has become the face of a statewide manhunt — a tiny girl in smiley-face pajamas, unaware of the danger, frozen in time on a grainy security feed.

Police are urging extreme caution. Noriega is considered armed and dangerous, though no weapon has been confirmed. Anyone spotting the pair is warned not to approach but to call authorities immediately.

The clock is ticking. A 3-year-old’s life hangs in the balance. The last known images of Kehlani Rogers show her alive, walking beside Marina Noriega in Maricopa. Somewhere out there, in the sprawling desert expanse or hidden in plain sight, that little girl needs help — now.

If you see them, call 911. Every second counts.