25 year old Khayman “Khay” Welch was last seen on August 12, 2020 in the Tonto National Forest, Arizona. He was last seen around 7:15 pm walking southeast from the parking area of Weaver’s Needle Vista Viewpoint, and hasn’t been heard from since.
Welch told a family member he wanted to get a better view of the sunset and walked off into the desert, but never returned.
Disappearance
On August 12, 2020, Khayman worked with his uncle doing AC work at Tortilla Flat. On their way home they stopped at Weaver’s Needle Vista at milepost 203 and State Route 88 to watch the sunset.
Khayman told his uncle he wanted to watch the sunset from the Needle and walked off into the desert, and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. He did not have any food or water with him at the time of his disappearance. When he went missing temperatures in the area exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
A search of the area was conducted within a few hours of his disappearance, but he has not been located. Searches of the area included the use of tracker dogs, horses, drones, and helicopters with infrared cameras.
Volunteers and friends of Khayman began searching the West side of State Route 88 in October 2020, but no clues as to his whereabouts have been found.
Some investigators and searchers have speculated that he might have mistook Battleship Mountain as Weaver’s Needle, and may have attempted to travel back on a different route.
At the time of his disappearance Khayman was working as a tattoo artist in Mesa, Arizona. His community of family and friends have been searching the area near Needle Vista for months. His case remains unsolved.
Appearance
Caucasian male with brown hair and hazel eyes. He stands 6 feet tall and weighs 200 pounds. He has full sleeve tattoos on both arms, ear gauges in both lobes approximately the diameter of a pencil, and a short buzzed haircut.
Khayman was last seen wearing a black Ghostbusters t-shirt, black jeans, black framed prescription eyeglasses, and army style boots.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Khayman Welch please contact the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office at (602) 876-8477.
