Search continues for missing Three Points teenager

Residents across Three Points and the surrounding rural areas are being asked to check sheds, vehicles, outbuildings and other possible shelters as the search continues for 15-year-old Ryker Lee, who has type 1 diabetes and needs insulin. Lee was reported missing Tuesday morning after leaving his home near South Silver Star Drive, in the area of State Route 86 and State Route 286. Authorities said he left on foot at about 10 a.m., and his medical condition has prompted an unusually large response from law enforcement and neighbors.

Lee is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing about 120 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes, and was last seen wearing a neon green shirt and floral print pants. The Arizona Department of Public Safety issued a Missing Endangered Person Advisory. As of Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, he had not been found. Anyone who sees Lee or has information about where he may be should call 911 immediately.

Pima County Search and Rescue teams have continued looking in the Three Points area, while detectives work to reconstruct Lee’s movements. Sheriff Chris Nanos said deputies have learned through camera footage that Lee left the home about an hour before he was reported missing. Investigators are also asking residents to provide footage from Ring and other home surveillance systems. Because Three Points properties can cover several acres, Nanos urged residents to inspect their land, including sheds, motor homes and other places where a frightened teenager might seek shelter.

The search took on a broader and more urgent dimension after investigators examining Lee’s disappearance found evidence of alleged abuse involving him and his two younger siblings. His mother, 39-year-old Danielle Renae Lee-Sharp, and stepfather, 43-year-old Michael Aaron Menzie, were arrested and each faces three counts of child abuse. The charges stem from conditions deputies reported at the family’s home and from the treatment of the children. The younger siblings, ages 8 and 10, were placed in the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Services.

According to court documents and information released by the Sheriff’s Department, deputies found Lee confined in a small, locked room inside a recreational vehicle. The RV reportedly had no running water, bathroom or air conditioning. Investigators also reported finding several plastic bottles containing what appeared to be urine, which Lee-Sharp reportedly identified as Lee’s. Inside the main home, deputies described strong cat urine odors, stains attributed to urine, vomit and feces, scattered trash and other items, and plastic mattresses without bedding. The children’s nearest bathroom reportedly did not have a sink, and insects were found throughout the residence.

Sheriff’s officials said the conditions appeared to reflect a longer history, with Nanos saying authorities believe problems involving the children may have gone back four or five years. A Three Points resident, Hailey Shonk, said she met Lee and his family in June and that Lee told her he was depressed and suicidal. Shonk said the news of his disappearance was devastating, but that the arrests brought some relief because she hoped Lee and his siblings would receive help and that the adults responsible would be held accountable.

Lee-Sharp and Menzie appeared in court Wednesday morning. Their bonds were set at $5,000 for Lee-Sharp and $10,000 for Menzie, with Menzie’s amount reflecting a prior misdemeanor conviction involving similar charges and the children. Both later posted bail and were no longer listed in the county jail roster Wednesday night. Officials have not said that either arrest provides an explanation for Lee’s whereabouts, and the missing-person investigation remains active while the child abuse case proceeds.

Neighbors began organizing their own search Wednesday afternoon, bringing together parents and other residents who used all-terrain vehicles, drones and vehicles to cover the desert around Lee’s home. Stephanie Barden said she does not know Lee personally but has a 15-year-old child and felt compelled to help. Jessie Sager, another resident, said volunteers planned to continue searching even after dark. Barden described Lee as quiet but fun, according to what her daughter, who knew him, had told her, and said the community was shaken by the possibility that he had been suffering out of public view. Officials are asking anyone who can safely assist or who has relevant information to contact 911, with Lee’s immediate safety remaining the priority.