A Native American tribe in southeastern Arizona is urging stricter oversight of state-licensed group homes after police found 14-year-old Indigenous teen Emily Pike dismembered after fleeing a Mesa group home.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe said Monday it sent a resolution to Gov. Katie Hobbs and other state officials, calling for an investigation and legislative reforms in response to Emily’s death.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Emily was last seen in late January near her group home at Mesa Drive and McKellips Road. Officials and family members said her body was discovered in a forest area near Globe, nearly 100 miles from where she disappeared, on February 14.
Information regarding her death leaked to the public late last month via a memo from Gila County police and social media. The memo indicated that Emily’s head and torso were found in bags. Her arms and hands are reportedly still missing.
“This crime must not go unsolved. Emily was murdered in a cruel, depraved and heinous act and the perpetrator(s) must be held accountable,” tribe Chairman Terry Rambler stated Friday in a letter, according to NBC News.
On January 27, a group home manager told Mesa Police that Emily was missing after she reportedly sneaked out of her bedroom window. The manager indicated that this was not the first time Emily had run away.
Emily’s uncle, Allred Pike Jr., said he thought Emily may have been trying to return to the reservation where her mother lives, after the state placed her in the group home. A former roommate at the home said Emily snuck out to meet a boy she shared guitar lessons with.
The tribe said searchers found her remains about 100 miles from the group home and is now offering a $75,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
“Our Council has offered a $75,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Emily’s murder,” Rambler stated in the letter that accompanied the resolution. “We have requested the public to supplement the reward to generate more interest and leads.”
According to Mesa police, around 30 children have been reported missing from the group home, managed by Sacred Journey Inc.
“What happened to these other children?” Rambler asked. “Are they all safe and accounted for? Why has this clear failure to protect these children been allowed to continue unabated for years?”
Court documents obtained by FOX 10 indicated that Emily ran away three times in 2023. She told police about her dissatisfaction with life at the group home and pleaded to not return.
“We respectfully request Governor Hobbs, given your background in social work, (to) take all steps necessary to implement reforms in group homes to ensure the safety of children is a top priority of your administration,” Rambler added.
So far, no arrests have been made in the case.To assist in the investigation, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office and the San Carlos Apache Police Department have set up an online tip portal where anonymous tips can be submitted through tips411.
Information can also be reported to the Sheriff’s Office at 928-425-4449, option 1, or the San Carlos Apache Police Department at 928-475-1700.
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[Feature Photo via Mesa police]