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STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. (BFMG) — Authorities and the family of 19-year-old Bilal Muhammad are urgently seeking the public’s help to locate him after his disappearance on January 24, 2025.
Muhammad was last seen around 9:00 p.m. on Friday evening in the Stockbridge area, specifically near New Lake Road. He is described as a Black male, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing approximately 132 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a grey hoodie and black pants with three white stripes on the sides (which may have paint stains), and brown boots.
According to Stockbridge Police, Muhammad is considered medically fragile and may be in urgent need of assistance. His family has disclosed that he experienced a mental health crisis and disappeared from his job site, escalating concerns for his safety Cody Alcorn of 11Alive reported.
We spoke with Muhammad’s aunt, Iffat Walker who advocates in this space, she tells us that they requested the assistance of Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) last night who initially responded and used drones to search for Muhammad.
She said she asked authorities today if a “Mattie’s Call” alert had been issued and was informed it would not be done before 8 p.m. because of his age. She added that a female officer assisted and attempted to escalate the case, but was unable to do so.
Matties Call, established in 2006 by Georgia’s General Assembly is an emergency missing alert for disabled and elderly persons, but can only be issued by local law enforcement agencies.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Georgia law defines ‘disabled adults’ as individuals who are developmentally impaired or who suffer from dementia or some other cognitive impairment.
Criteria for Activation
- A local law enforcement agency believes a disabled person is missing and is in immediate danger of serious bodily injury or death.
- Through its own investigation, the law enforcement agency verifies the disappearance and eliminates alternative explanations for the disabled person’s disappearance.
- Sufficient information is available to disseminate to the public that could assist in locating the disabled person.
- The missing disabled person is entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.
- The law enforcement agency must issue a statewide broadcast to law enforcement/911 centers and contact local media regarding the missing person.
The family of Muhammad tell us that just before 5:30 P.M. today, authorities have committed to issuing a “Matties Call” alert and entering the case into NCIC, an internal tool law enforcement agencies use to ping when contact is made with an individual attached.
RCSO issued a BOLO for Muhammad around 6:30 P.M. today, confirming this case as a Missing Person investigation and says that Mr. Muhammad is known to have Bipolar Schizophrenia. The official poster in his disappearance states he was last seen running eastbound on Alexanders Lake Rd. in the direction of New Lake Rd.
Police and family members have emphasized the importance of community involvement in locating Muhammad. They say he is formerly from the U.S. Virgin Islands and doesn’t know many people in the area which is surrounded by woods. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to contact Investigator D. Hinds at +1-770-278-8160 or by email at dylan.hinds@rockdalecountyga.gov.
Local authorities are asking residents to remain vigilant and report any sightings or information that may assist in finding Muhammad. Time is of the essence, they stressed, given his fragile condition.
For more information on enrolling into Georgia’s Emergency Alert System, visit https://www.gab.org/services/eas/
