White SUV makes me think of that video of people being rescued from the flood at almost the exact spot where she was found... wonder how much the 2 look alike??
Bernina, if she were buried at about the same area she was found, at a much later date than when she went missing (like after the flood receded), and then became exposed around the time she was found... could that scenario work, considering your knowledge/ experience of the area and all?
She was found in a debris pile from the flooding. This is above the level of the wash and is created when a tree, rock or other object becomes stuck in the water flow and collects other debris floating down in the flood waters.
"Kelly says the
remains were discovered under a pile of silt and debris carried down the wash from a late-July flood in Apache Junction."
http://www.kpho.com/story/23152269/search-for-evidence-underway-in-desert-wash
"
Under the bushes, I saw the legs, called the sheriff's [office]," Dan Kelly said."
http://www.azfamily.com/news/Skeletal-remains-in-Apache-Junction-possibly-those-of-Adrienne-Salinas-219763351.html
"Tempe police have confirmed the
skeletal remains found in Apache Junction are those of missing 19-year-old Adrienne Salinas."
"We don't believe she was dumped in the area where we are searching," Pooley said.
Police said they believe recent rains could have swept her body down the wash."
http://www.kpho.com/story/23145039/remains-found-in-wash-identified-as-adrienne-salinas
"Police are combing a four mile section of wash near the superstitions, looking for clues.
They believe Salinas' body was dumped there and may have been washed downstream by floodwaters."
"You can have additional trauma hitting against rocks and debris in the wash, depends on the condition of the body when it first enters the wash, whether there was possibility of death at that site and left there or could have died somewhere else and dumped there."
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/23201702/2013/08/20/medical-examiner-discusses-adrienne-salinas-case
"Pooley said the
skeletal remains were discovered in a wash on August 6 by property owner Dan Kelly."
"Kelly says after a big flood two weeks ago,
he noticed vultures were showing up in the same spot every day. He assumed they were after coyotes until he finally took a closer look and spotted
human legs"
http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_southeast_valley/tempe/adrienne-salinas-update-family-confirms-body-is-missing-19-year-old
"We don't believe she was dumped in the area where we are searching," Pooley said.
Police said they believe recent rains could have swept her body down the creek bed."
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57598836-504083/adrienne-salinas-update-remains-idd-as-those-of-missing-ariz-college-student-police-say/
...and
badly decomposed is also all over other News reports.
So, according to those quotes, the boys in the SUV aren't involved. They were also under the scrutiny of LE and the media the day they were rescued, and the next day, neighbors and the media were present when they dug and towed the vehicle out of the wash. LE say they believe she was "dumped" up stream and washed down. The boys were right where she ended up.
There's also different definitions for what the remains looked like: "human legs", "legs", "skeletal remains", "decomposed" and "badly decomposed". A layman like Kelly would have said "bones" or "skeleton" if that's what he saw. If that was the case, he might have thought it was just part of a range cow and kept walking. But he said "legs" and "human legs" suggesting that they may have been in a state of mummification because he could recognize that whatever it was, was human. If it had been "skeletal remains", the buzzards wouldn't have been there. So
someone is playing fast and loose with the term they're using for what condition the remains were in. I'm going to believe Mr. Kelly, it was uncensored on video, and he certainly wasn't mincing words.
"
Skeletal remains" don't remain intake taking a ride down 3+/- miles of wash. "
Badly decomposed" remains don't survive a 3+/- mile ride either. Now, "
mummified" remains would, the skin and connective tissue would be almost like leather and hold the skeleton together, it may have partially detached limbs from hitting fence posts, fencing, debris in the water, but it would pretty much hold together.