Authorities investigate another murder where Emily Pike’s remains were found
GLOBE, AZ (AZFamily) — The Gila County Sheriff’s Office said they are investigating another murder that happened in the same area where 14-year-old Emily Pike was murdered.
Emily’s remains were found on Valentine’s Day north of Globe off Highway 60 at milepost 277 off Forest Service Road 355. The teen was found dismembered with her remains in contractor trash bags. Her arms and hands are still missing.
The teen went missing from a group home in Mesa on January 27. The cries for justice for Emily have been loud as several vigils have been held in honor of the San Carlos Apache teen.
The Gila County Sheriff’s Office is getting help from many agencies including the FBI and said Monday they’ve now created an official task force on the case to funnel leads and tips. Officials said there is some kind of surveillance footage in the case but can’t reveal what that shows.
True Crime Arizona spoke with sheriff’s deputies Monday and while they’re making progress in her case, there are still several unknowns.
“We don’t have a weapon. We’ve not recovered any sort of weapon, [and the] cause of death is still under investigation by the ME’s office,” said GCSO Lt. Jim Lahti. “We’re investigating those leads. None of those as of yet have pointed us to a definite suspect or person of interest.”
As detectives continue searching for who killed Emily Pike, True Crime Arizona learned that the same department is also investigating another unsolved murder in the same area.
In September of 2021, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office and Department of Public Safety found a Native man shot multiple times to death in a car parked off US 60 at milepost 277.
Officials identified him as 31-year-old Leo Harry White from Whiteriver. He was found by deputies after somebody called in a welfare check for the car in the pullout area. The detective on White’s case said there are some leads in his case but no arrests in his murder either. According to an online obituary, he was a loving father and enjoyed the outdoors and exploring.
GCSO officials said there is one very key difference between Emily Pike and Leo White’s murders.
“It is a little different in that, that one it looks like the homicide actually took place there where the subject was found in a vehicle. This one with Emily, of course, we believe that she was killed somewhere else and then that is where she was dropped off,” said Lt. Lahti.
For that reason and differences in crime scenes, the sheriff’s office has no reason to believe they are related, but both are open and ongoing investigations. As part of the task force in Emily’s case, GCSO is going to take tips on their social media pages. They hope that information pouring in about Emily might help jog others’ memories and lead to tips about Leo White’s cold case too.
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