Exclusive: Manager of Emily Pike’s group home responds to questions regarding teen’s murder

MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — For the first time since Emily Pike’s dismembered remains were found after she ran away from a group home, the group manager is answering True Crime Arizona’s questions about safety protocols and protection at the home.

The calls for justice have only grown louder for 14-year-old Emily Pike, who was part of the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

The Mesa Police Department confirmed she ran away from the group home on January 27. Her remains were found dismembered in trash bags off the U.S. 60 in eastern Arizona on Valentine’s Day.

The Gila County Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency on this investigation but has not given an update this week on where things stand. No arrests have been made in Emily’s homicide.

According to Mesa police, officers took 31 missing person reports from the group home over the past three years involving two adults and 18 juveniles. Police say some of the juveniles ran away multiple times, so a new report was filed for each instance.

They also said Emily had run away before. This information left many people wanting answers.

RELATED: Emily Pike’s family wants Amber Alert system for missing Indigenous people

The group home manager agreed to answer True Crime Arizona correspondent Briana Whitney’s questions on several aspects of this tragic case including the investigation, safety and emotional impact of those still living in the group home.

Below is the Q&A with the group home manager.

Question: Is it mandatory to report the kids missing when they leave? What is that protocol with the police dept?

Answer: Yes, the group home must report all children as missing even if they leave to go to the store without permission. Majority of our reports are regarding the same child leaving without permission.

Question: When a kid runs away, why doesn’t staff go search for them?

Answer: We are a standard group home. We are a hands-off facility. We will never put our hands on a child. The only reason to even touch a child is to keep them safe from harm, for example from running into ongoing traffic when upset. We have been known to call Mesa Police and stay on the phone and follow our children until police assist us, which is always immediately when our children are a danger to themselves or others.

Question: Are there 30 kids missing? How many of those are accounted for now or came back?

Answer: No, there are not 30 missing children from our home. All of our children who have been reported missing have been accounted for. Those children who did not return to the home were placed in other facilities for many different reasons including a higher level of care for their safety. Safety always comes first.

Question: Why are they running away in the first place? Is there a better way to prevent them from running away in the first place?

Answer: Children run away for many reasons to include, missing their family (The state has an amazing system set up for children to visit with their families. With permission from guardians, the group home helps with visitation as well to ensure visitation is increased when possible) missing their friends, because they are not used to following rules and structure, because they have mental health conditions etc.

Question: What happened the day Emily went missing? Did you call Mesa PD right away?

Answer: The group home staff followed all protocol.

Question: What was your contact with Mesa PD in the days/weeks after Emily’s disappearance? Had they given you any updates?

Answer: Mesa Police have been in contact with the group home. There is an open investigation going on to catch whoever did this. They are working ongoing. We are not going to get in the way of their investigation.

Question: Have police interviewed or questioned you and the people in the group home as part of Emily’s investigation?

Answer: Yes

Question: How scary and upsetting is this to your staff and the kids at the group home? How are you all dealing with it?

Answer: This is traumatic for all of us. Our lives have been changed forever. We have amazing people in the community who are wrapping us in resources to support us during this difficult time. We are hurting. People on the internet have been horrible. They have somehow forgotten that there is a killer out there. They are threatening to leak to our homes. We need our children to feel safe and protected. We need our staff to feel safe and secure while taking care of our children.

Question: Do you believe the public has a misconception of the group home?

Answer: Yes. I realize people don’t have all the facts. We trust law enforcement to provide justice for Emily. Our group home puts everything we can into our children. We have been open for 24 years. We are still in contact with 95% of the children who have lived in our home. We have children who have graduated college, who are currently in college, who have amazing successful businesses, who have large, beautiful families. We parent our children and sometimes their families. We are all about reunification of children and families. We do the best we can with our children to make sure that they have the best chance at a bright future. We want to create the most normal environment for them possible. They take vacations, participate in sports, attend sports events… We treat our children as if we have birthed them ourselves. All of our children receive mentors. Right now, we are hurting. Right now, we are devastated.

Question: How long has this group home been open and do you have all native kids from the reservations?

Answer: The group home has been open for 24 years. The owner of the group home has been working in the field of children and families for 35 years. She has a 35-year history of advocating for children and families. The group home has many contracts. Also, children are placed in group homes for safety when all other resources have been exhausted. Group homes are not a punishment, they are a temporary support resource. We ask that the public allow the police to complete their investigation for Emily’s sake and for the sake of her family. Her soul deserves to be at peace. She did not deserve this.

Arizona’s Family also reached out to the Department of Child Services about the investigation and the group home, they sent the following statement:

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