Jarrett Brooks enjoyed the rancher's lifestyle. Even though he didn’t live on a ranch, he found some odd jobs at some nearby properties where he did some handyman and maintenance type of work.
Jarrett was also usually seen with his cowboy hat and boots.
In 2023, Jarrett was 16 years old. He was being homeschooled but still had many local friends in his town of Joseph City, Arizona.
He volunteered as an explorer at the local fire department and was friendly with everyone he met. Jarrett was also described as talkative and not someone who was ever shy.
Jarrett’s family life was a bit strict- which was likely important because he was one of seven children in the household. There had to be rules to keep some order.
On the night of July 3, 2023, Jarrett was grounded for taking out one of his father’s hunting vehicles. He had been strictly forbidden from taking the vehicle out, and his parents learned that he had snuck out with it.
Not only that, but he had damaged it in the process.
Around 10:00 p.m., his parents took his phone, which was something they did with all their children every evening.
The next morning, the family woke up early as they had a big day full of 4th of July events. When Jarrett woke up, he asked his parents if he could have his phone back and go to the events They told him no, he was grounded.
Jarrett sulked towards his room, and his mother got into the shower.
At 7:00 a.m., she was out of the shower and noticed that Jarrett wasn’t in his room when she checked on him.
Both of his parents began searching for him, eventually getting into separate vehicles and driving around the neighborhood. But Jarrett was nowhere to be found.
Jarrett Brooks was the fourth child born to Brian and Laura Brooks. Eventually, There would be a total of seven children born to Brooks, making Jarrett their middle child.
Jarrett was homeschooled and grew up in a seemingly strict family household. It’s hard to say how strict, however, and this has been a point of contention online as this case is discussed.
I don’t think as outsiders to this case and to this family that we are in a place to pass judgment on that
This was a large family so rules likely had to be in place to keep the peace. Was it too much? Maybe, maybe not.
Jarrett seemed to be a happy well-adjusted teen, however. He has many friends, something that can be difficult sometimes when you're homeschooled, and he worked some odd jobs for some local ranchers.
In most of the photos of Jarret, you see a young man with a mullet, often in a cowboy hat, jeans, and boots. It seemed he embraced the rancher lifestyle.
Jarrett knew he wasn’t supposed to take his father’s hunting vehicle out without permission. His parents knew that if something happened to it, Jarrett couldn’t afford to fix it. Because of this, they told him no, he couldn’t use the vehicle.
But Jarrett took it out anyway. I don’t know that a teenager disobeying their parents is that unusual, either.
Just as Brian had feared, Jarrett damaged the vehicle.
On July 3, 2023, his parents found out what happened. Subsequently, Jarrett was grounded. That evening Laura took Jarrett’s cell phone, and they went to bed around 10:00 p.m. The next day was the fourth of July, and it was a busy day.
At 6:30 a.m. on the morning of the fourth, the family was waking up for the day. Jarrett approached his mother and asked if he could attend the festivities for the fourth. She told him no, he was grounded and that meant he had to stay home.
Jarrett turned around and went back to his bedroom
Laura hopped in the shower, and when she was done, she decided to go check on Jarrett. But he wasn’t in his bedroom. A quick look around the house turned up no signs of Jarrett either.
She called out to her husband Brian, and he began helping look for Jarrett. Laura started calling some of his friends.
No one had seen or heard from Jarrett.
Soon, Brian and Laura decided that Jarrett must have left the house and he had to be on foot. They got in separate vehicles and began driving around looking for him. They found no signs of Jarrett, however.
When they got back to the house, not knowing what else to do, they called the local police in Joseph City, Arizona to report their son missing.
Right away, the family became very active on social media, trying to spread the word that Jarrett was missing.
Authorities also came in and began their investigation.
They noticed that there was a camera in the room where Jarrett’s father kept his gun safe. They reviewed the footage for the time frame when Jarrett was believed to have disappeared, and they saw something that added more urgency to the search for Jarrett.
Jarrett is seen on camera entering the room and removing a gun from the safe. This was just after his conversation with his mother that morning, and when it is believed that she was in the shower.
Now Jarrett was missing, and so was one of his father’s guns.
Unfortunately, Jarrett didn’t have his cell phone, so tracking him that way was not possible.
Authorities began to talk to neighbors to see if anyone saw anything, and they turned up one promising lead.
This neighbor said he had spotted Jarrett walking across his pasture. The man explained that he was working on his property with a friend when they spotted Jarrett walking and it looked like he was holding a gun. Jarrett had gone under a fence by the frontage road and was walking back and forth so he and his friend decided to go and see what was going on.
He went back to his home, got into his side-by-side vehicle, and his friend got his truck and they took the roads surrounding the property. The idea was they would each drive in a circle from opposite directions to come around and catch up to the boy to find out what he was doing there.
When the two met up in the middle, however, Jarrett was gone. The neighbor is 100% convinced that he had to have gotten a ride out of there and that there was nowhere else for him to go.
Authorities searched that area, and sure enough, found Jarrett’s wallet, with seemingly nothing missing.
They used drones to cover as much ground as possible and specially trained search dogs.
For the next few weeks, and then months, detectives followed up on every lead and every tip they got.
A lot of times we don’t see such swift and intense searches for missing teens, but it seems Joseph City, Arizona law enforcement was determined to find Jarrett.
All leads and tips led nowhere.
There were alleged sightings in Winslow, Arizona, and authorities also came out and announced he may have traveled to San Antonio, Austin, or Temple, Texas.
It was not disclosed why those particular areas, or if Jarrett had any connections to those cities.
Law enforcement came back to the Brooks’ home a few months after Jarrett disappeared and served four search warrants. While it seems it was mostly for electronics in the household, the presence of law enforcement at the Brooks’ home got the community talking, and a lot of the focus turned towards the parents.
Judgment on the parents was harsh, and while I do understand some of it, it does seem the parents have been out there searching for their son, doing media appearances, using social media, and just trying to find Jarrett.
But, again, without any answers, every possibility has to be kept on the table.
His parents also hired some private investigators to keep searching for their son.
Harter Investigations LLC was brought in and they held search parties to go out on foot in the area.
The interesting thing about those volunteer searches was that all who volunteer need to provide a valid I.D. and complete a background check.
I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of a background check for volunteers before in missing-person cases. Seems a drastic difference from the Wesley Dale Morgan case we just covered. This little boy went missing and they brought out buses of inmates to help search.
Joseph City, Arizona is a small town located northeast of Phoenix. It is right off of Interstate 40, which through this area is also known as the old Route 66.
The population is around 1300 residents, although the interstate does bring in some traffic and tourism.
There isn’t much around, however, according to Google Maps. Locals have said several abandoned mines in the area pose a danger to anyone walking through.
The Little Colorado River runs east and west, just south of Joseph City. It’s not a huge river, but it’s substantial enough for someone to fall in. It’s a muddy river and in many areas surrounded by flat, empty, desolate land.
Several reservations surround Joseph City, including:
Fort Apache
Hopi
Zuni
San Carlos
Ramah Navajo
There are a few National Forests nearby, the Tonto National Forest, Apache National Forest, and the Petrified Forest National Park.
Google Map of Joseph City AZ and Surrounding AreasPhoto byGoogle Maps
All of these are within a couple of hours of Joseph City.
There are some small bodies of water, but it mainly looks like desert terrain. And I can’t even imagine how hot that desert gets in July when Jarrett went missing.
Now, many believe that Jarrett had to get a ride out of the area, which is why he can’t be found. The neighbor who said that Jarrett disappeared suddenly while walking across his property, is insistent that he had to get a ride out of there, there was nowhere else for him to go or to hide.
If he did get a ride out of the area, the easy access to Interstate 40 could have quickly taken him out of Joseph City, and even out of Arizona.
Interstate 40 extends to California in the west, and South Carolina in the east. It passes through big cities such as Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, and Nashville.
Google Map Image of Interstate 40Photo byGoogle Maps
If Jarrett left the area, he could be anywhere.
But if he did get a ride, who was it with?
His parents insist he didn’t have time to make plans. He had a discussion with his mom that morning, in which she told him he was grounded from the 4th of July festivities. Within half an hour, Jarrett had left.
He didn’t have his cell phone, and they don’t believe he had access to one to make a call during that time.
There was also a stash of cash in the house that Jarrett knew about, and he didn’t take it. He didn’t have much of his own money.
It does seem as if Joseph City was thoroughly searched, by investigators, volunteers, and family, and still nothing was found. Is it possible he is still out there? Sure- it’s a vast desert and with the mention of the abandoned mines, it’s possible that he has remained unfound all this time.
This makes me think of the case of Dylan Rounds, whose body remained hidden for two years in the area where he vanished, despite thousands and thousands of hours of searches including professionals brought in, helicopters, drones, dogs, etc. He wasn’t found until his murderer led them to the body.
Could something have happened to Jarrett out there? While it can’t be ruled out, it’s important to note that many people feel he is not in the area and somehow left, possibly getting a ride.
What do you think happened to 16-year-old Jarrett Brooks?
Jarrett is described as a Caucasian male with brown hair styled in a mullet. He was seen wearing blue jeans, a back tee shirt, a ball cap, and cowboy boots.
He was 16 years old then, and would today be 17.
Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Jarrett Brooks is asked to contact the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office at 928-524-4050.
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