Case file
Key facts
- Name: Malik Polk
- Age at disappearance: 25
- Last seen by loved ones: May 17, 2026, in Coweta County, Georgia
- Incident: Night of May 18, 2026 — deputies responding to a 911 call on Shiloh Church Road near Whitesburg found his vehicle still running with a flat tire; Polk had fled into nearby woods
- Description: Black male, black hair, brown eyes, 5’9″, 150 lbs; last seen wearing a white t-shirt and blue jean shorts
- Search: More than 400 acres searched with bloodhounds, cadaver dogs, and drones — no further clues found
- Status: Still missing — investigators believe he may have been experiencing a mental health crisis; no foul-play determination has been publicly confirmed
- Reported missing: May 19, 2026, to the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office
- Investigating agency: Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, (770) 253-1502; the case investigator, Inv. E. Nilson, has also been listed publicly at 770-254-7797
The night on Shiloh Church Road
On the night of May 18, 2026, a homeowner on Shiloh Church Road near Whitesburg, Georgia, called 911. A man was trying to open the back door of their home.
When Carroll County deputies responded, they found a vehicle nearby — still running, with a flat tire. The man had run off into the woods. The driver was Malik Polk, 25, from Coweta County, and he has not been seen since.
His phone has been off ever since. According to his mother, Sharita Hampton, he left his wallet and phone behind in the car. She has said she does not understand how her son “disappeared off the face of the earth in 30 minutes.”
His mother’s account, as reported by the Times-Georgian and carried in TheGrio’s national roundup of the case, adds one detail to that night: she says a resident showed Polk a firearm, and that is when he fled into the woods. That detail comes from the family via local reporting; it has not been separately confirmed by the sheriff’s offices, and it is presented here as his mother’s account of why her son ran.
Four hundred acres, no clues
The search that followed was large and multi-agency, spanning Carroll and Coweta counties. Authorities brought in bloodhounds, cadaver dogs, drones, and search-and-rescue teams, and worked over 400 acres of terrain. Friends and family organized searches of their own in the same heavily wooded area near Shiloh Church Road and Highway 5.
It produced almost nothing. The scent trail ended near Highway 5, and no further trace of Malik was found in the woods, the fields, or along the roads. It remains unclear why or how he ended up in a rural area of Carroll County that night at all — a detail investigators have never been able to explain, and one his mother has also said she cannot explain.
What investigators believe
The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office has said investigators believe Polk may have been experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of his disappearance. That assessment shapes how the case is understood: a young man in distress, running from his car in the dark, into woods from which he never emerged.
No foul-play determination has been publicly confirmed, and authorities have not named a suspect or person of interest. The official status is an open missing-person investigation — one that has outlasted every search resource thrown at it.
A family that won’t stop asking
Malik’s disappearance drew sustained regional and national attention. 11Alive, CBS News, and Fox 5 Atlanta all covered the case; Fox 5 reported in July 2026 that the Newnan man was “still missing after 2 months.” In June 2026, a national roundup of missing Black men noted that “Malik Polk, 25 — Still missing… his is the only one still unresolved” among the cases it profiled.
On July 16, 2026, the podcast Untold Stories: Black and Missing devoted an episode to the case, interviewing Sharita Hampton about the night her son vanished. Five months later, the questions she asked then are the same ones waiting now: where did he go in those woods, and why did the trail stop at a highway?
Have information?
Contact the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office at (770) 253-1502. The case investigator, Inv. E. Nilson, has also been listed publicly at 770-254-7797. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- May 17, 2026 — Malik Polk is last seen by loved ones in Coweta County, GA.
- May 18, 2026 (night) — A 911 call from a homeowner on Shiloh Church Road near Whitesburg; deputies find Polk’s vehicle still running with a flat tire; he flees into nearby woods. His mother later says a resident showed him a firearm before he ran.
- May 19, 2026 — Officially reported missing to the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.
- May–June 2026 — Multi-agency search of 400+ acres with bloodhounds, cadaver dogs, and drones; scent trail ends near Highway 5. Family and friends hold searches of their own in the area.
- June 2026 — National roundup notes “Malik Polk, 25 — Still missing… his is the only one still unresolved” among three cases.
- July 2026 — Fox 5 Atlanta reports “Newnan man still missing after 2 months”; the Untold Stories: Black and Missing podcast interviews his mother.
- October 2026 — Still missing; no recovery reported.
FAQ
Is Malik Polk still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Malik Polk has been missing for five months, with no recovery reported by any source.
What happened the night he disappeared?
On the night of May 18, 2026, after a homeowner reported a man trying to open their back door on Shiloh Church Road near Whitesburg, deputies found Polk’s car nearby, still running with a flat tire. He had run into the woods. He has not been seen since, and his phone has been off since May 17. His mother has said a resident showed him a firearm before he fled; that detail is her account, reported locally, and has not been separately confirmed by investigators.
Why was Malik Polk in Whitesburg that night?
No one has publicly established why he was in that rural part of Carroll County. His mother told the Times-Georgian she does not know why he was in the area, and investigators have not explained it either. It remains one of the central unanswered questions in the case.
What was Malik Polk wearing when he disappeared?
He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and blue jean shorts. He is a Black male with black hair and brown eyes, 5’9″ and about 150 lbs.
Did the search turn up anything?
Despite searching more than 400 acres with bloodhounds, cadaver dogs, and drones, authorities found no further clues. The scent trail ended near Highway 5.
Do police think he was in crisis?
Investigators have said they believe Polk may have been experiencing a mental health crisis at the time. No foul-play determination has been publicly confirmed.
Who is investigating, and how can I help?
The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office is investigating: (770) 253-1502, or Inv. E. Nilson at 770-254-7797. Share this case file — someone in Coweta or Carroll County may remember seeing him.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Coweta County Sheriff’s Office (tips: (770) 253-1502; Inv. E. Nilson: 770-254-7797, as listed in TheGrio’s case roundup); Carroll County Sheriff’s Office incident response; search flyer via Black and Missing, Inc.
- News: 11Alive, “Coweta County Deputies Seek Public’s Help to Find Missing Man Last Seen in Whitesburg” (2026); CBS News, “Family of Missing 25 Year Old Malik Polk Seeks Answers as Carroll County Investigation Continues” (2026); Fox 5 Atlanta, “Newnan Man Still Missing After 2 Months, Family Asks For Help” (July 2026); TheGrio, “Missing Black men Derek Samuel, Jayden Wilson and Malik Polk drew national attention. One family is still waiting for answers” (June 15, 2026; firearm detail and investigator contact via Sharita Hampton and the Times-Georgian); Untold Stories: Black and Missing podcast, “What Happened to Malik After He Knocked on a Stranger’s Door?” (July 16, 2026).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.