Two Young Lives Gone Far Too Soon.
With hearts heavy with sorrow, we remember Leotis Phillips and Zoey Clark, both just 16 years old, whose lives came to a heartbreaking end in Juneau on August 31, 2026. What began as a desperate search for two missing teenagers ended in devastating news that no family, friend, classmate, or community should ever have to receive.
Leotis and Zoey were reported missing Monday morning from the Mendenhall Valley. Families and authorities hoped and prayed that the two young people would be found safe and brought home. Tragically, later that afternoon, their bodies were discovered in a wooded area in Lemon Creek. Authorities reported that a firearm was found nearby and that the circumstances appeared consistent with fatal gunshot wounds. The investigation remains ongoing, and officials will conduct further examinations to determine the full circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Sixteen is far too young for a life to end. At an age when there should have been years of friendships, laughter, dreams, graduations, adventures, and possibilities still waiting ahead, two families are instead left facing an unimaginable emptiness.
Behind their names were two young people with lives, personalities, memories, hopes, and people who cared deeply for them. Their absence will be felt in homes, classrooms, hallways, friendships, and throughout the Juneau community.
Tonight, we hold Leotis and Zoey in our thoughts and remember them with compassion. May their families find strength in the love surrounding them during this unbearable time. May their friends and classmates find comfort in one another, and may no one who is grieving feel that they must carry the pain alone.
Some losses leave a silence that words cannot fill. Though their lives were heartbreakingly short, Leotis Phillips and Zoey Clark will not be forgotten.
May they rest peacefully, and may their memory remain a gentle light in the hearts of everyone who knew and loved them. 🕊️💔
Rest in peace, Leotis and Zoey. You were far too young to leave this world.
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