Dismembered Body of 14-Year-Old Girl Found in Trash Bags Near Highway Weeks After Disappearance

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Emily Pike, 14, had been living in a group home before she went missing on January 27, 2025. Authorities searched for her for weeks. On February 14, they found her remains near an Arizona highway. Pieces of Pike’s body were spread out in trash bags, and some of her limbs were still missing. Now, police are trying to determine her cause of death and who killed her. 

An autopsy showed that Pike, who belonged to the San Carlos Apache Tribe, had suffered head and face trauma, The Independent reported.

Steff Dosela, Pike’s mother, described her daughter’s interests and character for the media. “My daughter, she was a very happy and kind person,” she told Arizona Family. Dosela also said the teen had a passion for art and planned to study it in college.

Although Pike was in a group home, her family still lived on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. Dosela doesn’t believe the group home handled her daughter’s disappearance properly. “Her case manager finally came a week later to tell me she was missing,” she said, per The Independent.

Now that the teen’s body has been found, the family has questions. “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. In a message to her daughter she said, “You’ll never be forgotten. I love you.” She added, “Until we meet again, rest in peace.”

At this time, no one has been arrested in Pike’s death. Detectives are speaking to three potential suspects. So far, authorities have kept Dosela abreast of the details of the investigation, The Independent reported. “They have three suspects, but they didn’t tell me their names yet. They will talk to me about it today,” she said.

Police are urging anyone with information to contact Gila County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or San Carlos Apache Tribal Police.