Listen up.
In early November 2021, 16-year-old Kit Mora’s messages went quiet in Omak, Washington. A sibling, friend, and two-spirit Indigenous teen, Kit filled rooms with art and curiosity. In this episode, we trace the months that followed as family and friends keep asking what happened to Kit.
No Trace in Omak: Kit Mora
Nearly four years after 16-year-old Esmerelda “Kit” Mora was last in contact with friends and family, Omak police say they are still pursuing tips and searching for answers, now with help from the state Attorney General’s Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and People Cold Case Unit.
Mora, an Indigenous, Hispanic teen who used they/them pronouns, stopped communicating in early November 2021, according to family and friends. They were reported missing in April 2022 while living in Omak with their mother; investigators now believe the disappearance likely occurred months earlier when Mora’s social media activity and messages ceased.
Detective Brien Bowling, who is leading the investigation for Omak police, said in an email that officers and volunteers have searched “hundreds of acres of possible body dump sites with both cadaver dogs and humans” without results and that he continues to follow up on every tip.
In August 2024, Omak police said they were working the case alongside the Attorney General’s cold-case unit. As part of that effort, the Washington State Patrol Forensic Crime Lab executed a search warrant at a residence connected to the investigation; police said they coordinated support for tenants who had to relocate. Officials have said they will release more information when lab results allow.
Mora grew up in Yakima and moved to Omak in 2021 to stay with their mother. Friends said the teen loved art and dreamed of becoming a paleontologist. “Everything that Kit touched, every room that Kit walked into, was lighter and better for it,” said best friend Amythist McCart, who drove to Omak in 2022 to look for Mora after months of unanswered texts.
Family members dispute early characterizations that Mora had “run away.” “Kit wouldn’t just run away,” older sister Charlotte said, noting the teen’s responsibilities caring for younger siblings and helping at a family business.
Court records from 2022 concerning conditions in the mother’s household describe child-welfare interventions and safety concerns unrelated to Mora’s disappearance. The teen’s mother has not responded to multiple requests for comment made during reporting for this story.
Mora is 5-foot-2 and about 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. They were 16 at the time they disappeared.
A reward of $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to answers in the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Brien Bowling at 509-826-0383 or opd406@omakpd.com. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through local Crime Stoppers.
Episode Source Material
Original reporting by Jacqui Fulton.
Washington State Patrol (Olympia, WA): Kit Mora — Missing Children Clearinghouse Poster, by Washington State Patrol. Published n.d. Accessed September 13, 2025. https://wsp.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Esmeralda-Kit-Mora.pdf Washington State Patrol
Cascade PBS (Seattle, WA): How the case of a missing Indigenous teen fell through the cracks, by Kelsey Turner. Published February 14, 2024. Accessed September 13, 2025. https://www.cascadepbs.org/indigenous-affairs/2024/02/how-case-missing-indigenous-teen-fell-through-cracks/#:~:text=Kit%20went%20missing%20in%202021%20at%20age%2016%20while%20living%20with%20Kit%E2%80%99s%20mother Cascade PBS
OPB (Portland, OR): Washington state police delayed investigation on missing Indigenous teen for more than a year, by Kelsey Turner (InvestigateWest). Published February 18, 2024. Accessed September 13, 2025. https://www.opb.org/article/2024/02/18/kit-nelson-mora-missing-indigenous-teen/ opb
The Charley Project (Online): Kit Mora, by The Charley Project. Published n.d. (Updated May 14, 2024.) Accessed September 13, 2025. https://charleyproject.org/case/esmerelda-c-mora The Charley Project
NBC News (New York, NY): Missing teen Kit Mora in Washington State, by Dateline NBC. Published April 22 2025. Accessed September 13, 2025.https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/missing-in-america/missing-teen-kit-mora-washington-state-rcna202402
