New details have emerged after an 18-year-old Nebraska teen who went on a trip to Arizona to celebrate his high school graduation, was found dead in a desert bonfire pile.
According to his family, Parker League arrived June 9 at the Bulldog Canyon area of the Tonto National Forest, after visiting a friend. He was scheduled to return home on June 12, but a resident discovered his body that day.
Police are calling Parker’s death “malicious.”
His brother told ABC 15 that Parker sent him a text on June 10, marking the last time anyone in the family heard from him. The family said they were not notified of his death and subsequently filed a missing persons report with the Tempe Police Department on June 15.
“I knew he had a place to stay; I knew he got there. We texted… that’s about it,” Parker’s brother, Hunter League, said.
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office officials made their first public statement about the case on June 22. However, they withheld several details to safeguard the integrity of the ongoing investigation, such as how the teen got to the desert and other circumstances surrounding the death.
“The information we have available for release is he was found in the pile burning. So as far as the other details of whether he was placed there, whether that’s where he was, those are details we can’t get into,” Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez with MCSO said, CBS 12 reports.
“Only certain people know details of that crime, so they can’t be released to protect the integrity of investigation.”
“We’re working the investigation. And when we say that we have possible leads, that can be a good thing or it can turn out to be nothing. But we work every avenue, every angle, especially with a crime like this, in such a remote area.
“We also rely on physical evidence. And you’re talking about the elements of where this was found a whole day after maybe. So we deal with a lot of different elements that we have to go through. But to say that we know who did this would be premature.”
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Campers in the area reported recent criminal activities in Bulldog Canyon, including thefts. ABC15 raised the concern with Hunter, who said he thinks that Parker might have been specifically targeted because of his “expensive watch.”
Family members, according to Hunter, also discovered two unusual transactions while checking Parker’s bank account.
“We basically found out that someone was using his debit card to get food and tried to pay their electric bill with it,” Hunter said.
Meanwhile, police are asking for the public’s assistance. Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact MCSO at 602-876-TIPS.
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[Feature Photo: Family Handout]
