FBI joins search for teen sisters missing since late June

The FBI’s Detroit Field Office said it is joining the effort to find two Black teen sisters missing from their adoptive parents’ home since June.

The Roscommon County Sheriff’s Office said Tamara Perez, 15, and her sister Iris Perez, 14, were last seen June 28 near their home in Prudenville, Michigan, about 180 miles northwest of Detroit.

Tamara Perez - FBI
Tamara Perez - FBI

The sisters and their adoptive parents moved from Florida to Michigan around March of 2023, according to the FBI.

A day after the girls went missing, the sheriff’s department shared images of a white Jeep Cherokee leaving the area where the sisters had last been seen.

Iris Perez - FBI
Iris Perez - FBI

The FBI says Iris has a star tattoo on the left side of her neck. The sisters have ties to Port St. Lucie and Lake Worth, Florida, and Winchester, Tennessee, according to officials.

CNN has reached out to the Roscommon County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI’s Detroit and Miami field offices for additional comment.

According to 2021 FBI data, Black people make up 31% of missing person reports but only 14% of the US population. White people, meanwhile, make up 54% of missing person reports and 76% of the US population.

Black families say they often struggle to get the police to take their missing person cases seriously. On the other hand, cases of missing White women and children are often treated with urgency and thrust into the national spotlight, Black families say.

Anyone with tips on the Perez sisters’ whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Roscommon County Sheriff’s Office at 989-275-5101 or the FBI.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com