(Salem) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Child Welfare Division, is thankful for the community support to find Payton Brazell Smith.
Payton, age 16, is a child in foster care who went missing from Junction City, Oregon on April 9. She was found May 2.
A small number of children in foster care may be in significant danger when they run away or have gone missing. As ODHS works to do everything it can to find these missing children and ensure their safety, media alerts will be issued in some circumstances when it is determined necessary. Sometimes, in these situations, a child may go missing repeatedly, resulting in more than one media alert for the same child.
Report child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233). This toll-free number allows you to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.