Foster care advocates honor Arizona teen whose remains were found dismembered
MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — Foster care advocates are honoring the memory of 14-year-old Emily Pike whose dismembered remains were found in the woods off Highway 60 in Gila County.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe teen was brutally killed and dismembered. Her torso, head and legs were left in trash bags.
Right now, detectives don’t know what happened or who is responsible.
“I can only imagine the fact that her hands and arms haven’t been found is because she was beating up and hurting her attacker,” said Anika Robinson, a foster care advocate whose nonprofit started serving Emily in 2023.
She was living in a Mesa group home at the time she disappeared.
“I think all of us were shocked that that was her demise. I know that her staff and the girls in her home are suffering greatly because of it,” said Robinson.
Police say Emily’s remains were found on Valentine’s Day about 100 miles away from where she was last seen alive near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road.
Her group home manager reported her missing on Jan. 27 and exactly one month later, on Feb. 27, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the remains dumped on the side of the road were her’s.
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“Somebody had to have seen something, right? Someone had to have seen her face, had to have seen her yelling, had to have observed something or taken part in this or they know someone who did. I would ask them to please reach out to police,” said Robinson.
Mesa Police said Emily had a history of running away, and what happened in the weeks after she vanished remain a mystery as police continue to investigate her death.
“I think for any child who has been placed outside of their home and wishes to return home, we see this so often where they are fleeing. They are leaving. They want some sense of independence,” said Robinson. “Her family loves her, her extended family loves her, and we want closure.”
On Sunday morning, foster care advocates will wrap yellow ribbons around street poles near where Emily was last seen alive. The ribbons are intended to symbolize the community’s love and support as the push for answers in her case continues.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Gila County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or the San Carlos Apache Tribal Police.
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