The dismembered remains of a 14-year-old girl were found near an Arizona highway, weeks after she went missing. Police are now trying to determine how she died and who is responsible.
Emily Pike, a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, was last seen wearing a pink and gray shirt on January 27 around 7.45 p.m. in the area of Mesa Drive and McKellips Road, Mesa Police announced last month.
Weeks later, on February 14, her remains in a trash bag were found off Highway 60 milepost 277 near Globe, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday. The sheriff’s office and other law enforcement agencies are conducting an investigation into the homicide.
The teen’s remains were found in different trash bags - with some of her limbs still missing, according to AZ Family.
The autopsy showed she had face and head trauma, according to the outlet. A cause of death has not been determined.
“My daughter, she was a very happy and kind person. She loves painting. She loves art. She loves to draw,” Steff Dosela, the girl’s mother, told Arizona’s Family. Pike aspired to go to college and pursue art, her mother said.
The teen was living in a group home in Mesa at the time she disappeared while her family was living on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation.
“Her case manager finally came a week later to tell me she was missing,” Dosela told the outlet.
Now that the teen’s remains have been found, her family has questions about what led to her death.
“Why did it go that far? She was just an innocent… she was a baby. [This is] pain that I hope no other mother would go through,” Dosela said, choking up.
No one has yet been arrested in connection to Pike’s death, but authorities are currently speaking to three potential suspects, Dosela told the outlet. “They have three suspects, but they didn’t tell me their names yet. They will talk to me about it today,” the grieving mother said.
The Independent has reached out to the sheriff’s office for more information.
“You’ll never be forgotten. I love you,” her mom said. “Until we meet again, rest in peace.”
Authorities are urging anyone with information about the incident to contact the Gila County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or San Carlos Apache Tribal Police.
