A volunteer group in Arizona plans to search for the additional remains of 14-year-old Indigenous girl Emily Pike to provide closure for her family and tribal community.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Emily vanished from her Mesa group home in late January and was found dead off U.S. 60 northeast of Globe on February 14. Hikers discovered her partially dismembered remains, with some body parts still missing.
“A part of her is out there wanting to come home,” volunteer searcher Twila Cassadore said. “A part of her is wanting us to come find her, and that’s going to give her peace.”
The Gila County Sheriff’s Office told ABC15 that additional searches with cadaver dogs have taken place in the area. The Tonto Rim Search and Rescue Team, the San Carlos Apache Tribe, the Department of Game and Fish, and U.S. Border Patrol assisted in these efforts.
FBI agents, Gila County deputies, and tribal police searched Emily’s mother’s home on the San Carlos Apache Reservation this week with the mother’s consent. No arrests were made, and no evidence was seized, according to an FBI spokesperson.
The sheriff’s office is actively pursuing 10 leads in Emily’s case but has not identified any suspects. Authorities said they will continue searching if new information emerges.
Cassadore, a San Carlos Apache tribal member, emphasized the cultural significance of finding Emily’s remains, stating, “In our Apache culture, you have to be whole when you go into the next life.”
Cassadore will lead another volunteer search on Tuesday at milepost 277, where Emily was first discovered, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Meanwhile, a task force formed shortly after the San Carlos Apache Tribe offered a $75,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in Emily’s case. To assist the investigation, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office and the San Carlos Apache Police Department have set up an online tip portal where anonymous tips can be submitted through tips411.
Information can also be reported to the Sheriff’s Office at 928-425-4449, option 1, or the San Carlos Apache Police Department at 928-475-1700.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo via Mesa police]
Leigh Egan
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