‘We need closure’: Family of missing girl, 14, still searching for answers

Ja’Niyah McMichael-Rogers is still not home, and even money doesn’t seem to be helping.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with the Gary Police Department, has upped the reward for the missing teen to $30,000 for information on her disappearance, her grandmother Dalia Guerrero said during a Sunday afternoon vigil commemorating the 18 1/2 months Ja’niyah has been declared missing. If no one saying anything about her whereabouts because a young girl is missing is heartbreaking enough, leaving money on the table is inexplicable to her.

“I don’t get it,” Guerrero said. “We need closure.”

Ja’Niyah’s dad, Antonio Rogers of Chicago, doesn’t understand how she could be gone this long, either. No one’s ever caught her on camera leaving, so he doesn’t believe she’s been trafficked.

“There’ve been no leads since the first one, and I’ve searched my own leads,” he said. “How does nobody know where she is?

“My number is on all these flyers. Ja’Niyah, your daddy’s here, and I’m not giving up.”

For Antwainae Rogers, Ja’Niyah’s aunt and Antonio’s twin sister, it’s been brutal watching Antonio struggle with her gone.

“I see (Ja’Niyah’s) pictures, and that could be my daughter,” she said. “Me as a mom, I would be out there every day about my child.”

Ja’Niyah McMichael-Rogers has been missing since Aug. 12, 2024, the Post-Tribune previously reported. Jasmine McMichael, Ja’Niyah McMichael’s mother, first reported her daughter missing from their home in the 1900 block of Malcolm X Drive in Gary. Ja’Niyah was seen wearing a black hoodie, black pajamas and red and black Air Jordans.

The city of Gary first released an update on Ja’Niyah’s disappearance on Oct. 5, 2024. The city said it was working with the FBI and Department of Child Services to investigate the case, reported tips and leads, according to the city’s website.

“We strongly urge the public to refrain from sharing unvetted information as this can severely impede the ongoing investigation,” the release said. “Our actions to date have been aimed at ensuring compliance with the law and preserving the integrity of the investigation.”

Another update on McMichael’s investigation has not been shared since the city announced the reward money.

In September 2025, Darnell Compton Jr., 31, was charged with starting a brawl during a search party for Ja’Niyah, according to Post-Tribune archives. He was charged with three counts of battery, one count of strangulation and three misdemeanors.

In June, Compton took a plea deal that dismissed the battery counts, strangulation count and domestic battery misdemeanor, according to online court records. He pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors: striking a law enforcement animal and resisting law enforcement.

Compton received a sentence of 262 days, which he had already served, according to court records.

said Sunday she just wants her granddaughter home.

“If it’s foul play, I need to see her. She needs to be laid to rest,” she said.

Anyone with information is urged to come forward, according to a previous news release from the FBI and city of Gary. Tips can be anonymously submitted to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.

Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.