AZ - Emily Pike, 14, found dismembered in rural Gila County, last seen in Mesa, 27 Feb 2025

[Schatz]

Mesa PD releases missing persons report for teen girl who was found dismembered

ABC15 has obtained the missing persons report through the Mesa Police Department in the case of 14-year-old Emily Pike, who was found dismembered near Globe.

www.abc15.com

 

[Knox]

TIMELINE

On January 28, police spoke to what appears to be a group home employee. The report states she told Mesa police that Emily was on medication for mental health and behavioral issues. The employee also provided the contact for Emily's case manager with the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

The report states on January 29 at 3:35 p.m., a missing bulletin was sent out statewide.

On February 11, the employee with the group home told police they received a voicemail from an unknown person saying Emily was with her mom on San Carlos Apache Tribal Land. The voicemail came in on February 2 but was not received until five days later on February 7.

That same day the report states Emily's case manager told police she asked the teen's mom about the tip. The report states Emily's mom told the case manager her daughter was not there and it was an "old post".

Emily's family previously told ABC15 it was about a week until they were notified about Emily's disappearance.

The report states Emily's mom "appeared worried" and told the teen's case manager she had not heard from her daughter.

On February 19, officials with the Bureau of Indian Affairs contacted the Mesa Police Department saying they believed they had a Jane Doe who was the missing teen.

About a week later, the report notes Emily was identified as the person found dismembered off U.S. 60, northeast of Globe.

On Wednesday, March 19, ABC15 was told there were still no solid persons of interest or suspects in Emily's case.

Mesa PD releases missing persons report for teen girl who was found dismembered

ABC15 has obtained the missing persons report through the Mesa Police Department in the case of 14-year-old Emily Pike, who was found dismembered near Globe.

www.abc15.com

Someone knows something ...

 

[Lusitana]

Well, I'm even more confused now. What does her mother mean by "it's an old post" regarding the voicemail? Was she with her mother at some point?

 

[Elle81]

I am in AZ so let me see if I can help. Emily was in a group home in a city called Mesa it is an "east valley city" if you go further east you find yourself in an area Globe/Miami, old copper mining towns. If you were to continue on this road you would find yourself intersecting with the Reservation that was Home to Emily. So if she had been hitchhiking this would be a valid route, also if someone she knew from home was transporting her. I do not think this would be the closest location for a body drop if she was killed in the Mesa area. But it does make sense if this baby was trying to get home to family. I do believe she was killed elsewhere but not sure I would think she was killed in Mesa. I think time of death will answer some of these questions, how long after she disappeared was she murdered?

Emily was Navajo and Apache.The reservation just to the north a few blocks is Pima. All Navajo and Apache reservations are far from this area.

 

[Elle81]

This case hits me in the gut personally in several ways. I lived in a girls grouphome/ shelter for a year as a teen several blocks from where she disappeared. After that I lived at the exact cross streets (Mesa drive and McKellips) she disappeared from until I was 19 and my inlaws currently live a block and a half from there which is the same neighborhood Mikelle Biggs disappeared from in 1998. (99% sure that is not at all related to this however).

When I grew up there at the time it was a peaceful area and was technically "Lehi", a neighborhood in Mesa before the freeway was built thru the salt flats. There was an exception of a long strip of section 8 housing apartments on the Southeast corner of Mesa Dr. and McKellips that was known for drug activity. It's a unique area. You go 1 block north and it turns into a country area where many people have horses and many of the residential roads weren't paved until about 10-15 years ago. Couple miles further up and the Pima indian rez begins. 1 block south and you're into residential suburban housing that has gotten more "ghetto" each year. 2 blocks west and you're in a more commercialized area and the crime gets worse and worse the further west and south you go for awhile.

2 blocks East and you start getting into a higher income area so the entire surrounding area of the intersection she disappeared from is very diverse. She also disappeared right next to 2 freeways. 202 East was 1 block north of that intersection and 101 North starts a couple miles west as well as a state route road a few blocks north that I cant thing of the number.

I realize my experience in the group home/girls shelter may not be as relevant today as it was the late 1990's, but girls would constantly go awol from there. If they hadn't returned in 30 mins the police were suppose to be called. I would say it only happend maybe half the time. These teens aren't cared about. When I stayed there a 14 year old went awol. She moved into a 30 year old guys apt she met at the gas station maybe half a mile up the road. Everyone knew she was there. We told them and staff would see her nearby. Nothing was done, she still was living there that I knew of 6 months after this. Caseworkers here have 3 to 4 times the loads they are suppose to have, that hasn't changed. There were always a lot of native girls that came and went during my time there.

I'm curious where the exact location of this specific group home was. I know someone was shot and killed in the nearby trailerpark around the time she went missing and either a couple weeks before or after an 18 year olds body was found in a canal 2 blocks E/1 block North.

 

[Elle81]

This case hits me in the gut personally in several ways. I lived in a girls grouphome/ shelter for a year as a teen several blocks from where she disappeared. After that I lived at the exact cross streets (Mesa drive and McKellips) she disappeared from until I was 19 and my inlaws currently live a block and a half from there which is the same neighborhood Mikelle Biggs disappeared from in 1998. (99% sure that is not at all related to this however).

When I grew up there at the time it was a peaceful area and was technically "Lehi", a neighborhood in Mesa before the freeway was built thru the salt flats. There was an exception of a long strip of section 8 housing apartments on the Southeast corner of Mesa Dr. and McKellips that was known for drug activity. It's a unique area. You go 1 block north and it turns into a country area where many people have horses and many of the residential roads weren't paved until about 10-15 years ago. Couple miles further up and the Pima indian rez begins. 1 block south and you're into residential suburban housing that has gotten more "ghetto" each year. 2 blocks west and you're in a more commercialized area and the crime gets worse and worse the further west and south you go for awhile.

2 blocks East and you start getting into a higher income area so the entire surrounding area of the intersection she disappeared from is very diverse. She also disappeared right next to 2 freeways. 202 East was 1 block north of that intersection and 101 North starts a couple miles west as well as a state route road a few blocks north that I cant thing of the number.

Like I said the area is also near the edge of the Pima rez but she was Navajo. All Navajo reservations in AZ are very far away. I realize my experience in the group home/girls shelter may not be as relevant today as it was the late 1990's, but girls would constantly go awol from there. If they hadn't returned in 30 mins the police were suppose to be called. I would say it only happend maybe half the time. These teens aren't cared about. When I stayed there a 14 year old went awol. She moved into a 30 year old guys apt she met at the gas station maybe half a mile up the road. Everyone knew she was there. We told them and staff would see her nearby. Nothing was done, she still was living there that I knew of 6 months after this. Caseworkers here have 3 to 4 times the loads they are suppose to have, that hasn't changed. There were always a lot of native girls that came and went during my time there.

I'm curious where the exact location of this specific group home was. I know someone was shot and killed in the nearby trailerpark around the time she went missing and either a couple weeks before or after an 18 year olds body was found in a canal 2 blocks E/1 block North.

Excuse me I think she is Navajo and Apache.

 

[mickey2942]

Pretty gruesome. And scary that someone is out there who did this.

Highlights, once again, kids in foster care just "disappear", no one cares, notices, or even reports it. Mildred Old Crow, in Montana, was missing for three years, until someone wondered where she was, and the state was still sending out checks for her care. For years!

 

[Elle81]

Well, I'm even more confused now. What does her mother mean by "it's an old post" regarding the voicemail? Was she with her mother at some point?

My guess with that is someone saw something on socia media of her with her Mom (it may have been an "old post") and reported it thru a left voicemail. That's the only thing that makes sense to me.

 

[formerlyme]

Emily was Navajo and Apache.The reservation just to the north a few blocks is Pima. All Navajo and Apache reservations are far from this area.

Globe is enroute from Mesa AZ where she went missing to her familial home on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. US 60 out of Mesa leads to Globe and drop to 70 takes you right to the San Carlos Reservation .

 

[formerlyme]

This case hits me in the gut personally in several ways. I lived in a girls grouphome/ shelter for a year as a teen several blocks from where she disappeared. After that I lived at the exact cross streets (Mesa drive and McKellips) she disappeared from until I was 19 and my inlaws currently live a block and a half from there which is the same neighborhood Mikelle Biggs disappeared from in 1998. (99% sure that is not at all related to this however).

When I grew up there at the time it was a peaceful area and was technically "Lehi", a neighborhood in Mesa before the freeway was built thru the salt flats. There was an exception of a long strip of section 8 housing apartments on the Southeast corner of Mesa Dr. and McKellips that was known for drug activity. It's a unique area. You go 1 block north and it turns into a country area where many people have horses and many of the residential roads weren't paved until about 10-15 years ago. Couple miles further up and the Pima indian rez begins. 1 block south and you're into residential suburban housing that has gotten more "ghetto" each year. 2 blocks west and you're in a more commercialized area and the crime gets worse and worse the further west and south you go for awhile.

2 blocks East and you start getting into a higher income area so the entire surrounding area of the intersection she disappeared from is very diverse. She also disappeared right next to 2 freeways. 202 East was 1 block north of that intersection and 101 North starts a couple miles west as well as a state route road a few blocks north that I cant thing of the number.

I realize my experience in the group home/girls shelter may not be as relevant today as it was the late 1990's, but girls would constantly go awol from there. If they hadn't returned in 30 mins the police were suppose to be called. I would say it only happend maybe half the time. These teens aren't cared about. When I stayed there a 14 year old went awol. She moved into a 30 year old guys apt she met at the gas station maybe half a mile up the road. Everyone knew she was there. We told them and staff would see her nearby. Nothing was done, she still was living there that I knew of 6 months after this. Caseworkers here have 3 to 4 times the loads they are suppose to have, that hasn't changed. There were always a lot of native girls that came and went during my time there.

I'm curious where the exact location of this specific group home was. I know someone was shot and killed in the nearby trailerpark around the time she went missing and either a couple weeks before or after an 18 year olds body was found in a canal 2 blocks E/1 block North.

I think your experiences would be very relevant I don't think much has been done to upgrade the way they are run and reporting etc.

 

[formerlyme]

TIMELINE

On January 28, police spoke to what appears to be a group home employee. The report states she told Mesa police that Emily was on medication for mental health and behavioral issues. The employee also provided the contact for Emily's case manager with the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

The report states on January 29 at 3:35 p.m., a missing bulletin was sent out statewide.

On February 11, the employee with the group home told police they received a voicemail from an unknown person saying Emily was with her mom on San Carlos Apache Tribal Land. The voicemail came in on February 2 but was not received until five days later on February 7.

That same day the report states Emily's case manager told police she asked the teen's mom about the tip. The report states Emily's mom told the case manager her daughter was not there and it was an "old post".

Emily's family previously told ABC15 it was about a week until they were notified about Emily's disappearance.

The report states Emily's mom "appeared worried" and told the teen's case manager she had not heard from her daughter.

On February 19, officials with the Bureau of Indian Affairs contacted the Mesa Police Department saying they believed they had a Jane Doe who was the missing teen.

About a week later, the report notes Emily was identified as the person found dismembered off U.S. 60, northeast of Globe.

On Wednesday, March 19, ABC15 was told there were still no solid persons of interest or suspects in Emily's case.

Mesa PD releases missing persons report for teen girl who was found dismembered

ABC15 has obtained the missing persons report through the Mesa Police Department in the case of 14-year-old Emily Pike, who was found dismembered near Globe.

www.abc15.com

Someone knows something ...

A couple of HUGE issues I have with this, February 11 the group home employee gets a vm, wouldn't the caller have called police or ????? child services, I just don't feel that the employees would be the ones getting a voicemail and not the home, an employee... I would wonder who called, male or female and was Emily deceased at this time?
ALSO terribly wrong that the family was not immediately notified of her disappearance. I cannot find any reason for this. tribal case management put her in this home, they should have let mom know immediately would this have changed the outcome, I don't know but feel it is possible. If Emily was trying to make her way home.... mom and family could have been searching for a week that time was lost

 

[formerlyme]

This case hits me in the gut personally in several ways. I lived in a girls grouphome/ shelter for a year as a teen several blocks from where she disappeared. After that I lived at the exact cross streets (Mesa drive and McKellips) she disappeared from until I was 19 and my inlaws currently live a block and a half from there which is the same neighborhood Mikelle Biggs disappeared from in 1998. (99% sure that is not at all related to this however).

When I grew up there at the time it was a peaceful area and was technically "Lehi", a neighborhood in Mesa before the freeway was built thru the salt flats. There was an exception of a long strip of section 8 housing apartments on the Southeast corner of Mesa Dr. and McKellips that was known for drug activity. It's a unique area. You go 1 block north and it turns into a country area where many people have horses and many of the residential roads weren't paved until about 10-15 years ago. Couple miles further up and the Pima indian rez begins. 1 block south and you're into residential suburban housing that has gotten more "ghetto" each year. 2 blocks west and you're in a more commercialized area and the crime gets worse and worse the further west and south you go for awhile.

2 blocks East and you start getting into a higher income area so the entire surrounding area of the intersection she disappeared from is very diverse. She also disappeared right next to 2 freeways. 202 East was 1 block north of that intersection and 101 North starts a couple miles west as well as a state route road a few blocks north that I cant thing of the number.

I realize my experience in the group home/girls shelter may not be as relevant today as it was the late 1990's, but girls would constantly go awol from there. If they hadn't returned in 30 mins the police were suppose to be called. I would say it only happend maybe half the time. These teens aren't cared about. When I stayed there a 14 year old went awol. She moved into a 30 year old guys apt she met at the gas station maybe half a mile up the road. Everyone knew she was there. We told them and staff would see her nearby. Nothing was done, she still was living there that I knew of 6 months after this. Caseworkers here have 3 to 4 times the loads they are suppose to have, that hasn't changed. There were always a lot of native girls that came and went during my time there.

I'm curious where the exact location of this specific group home was. I know someone was shot and killed in the nearby trailerpark around the time she went missing and either a couple weeks before or after an 18 year olds body was found in a canal 2 blocks E/1 block North.

would you say there is high gang activity?

 

[mickey2942]

A couple of HUGE issues I have with this, February 11 the group home employee gets a vm, wouldn't the caller have called police or ????? child services, I just don't feel that the employees would be the ones getting a voicemail and not the home, an employee... I would wonder who called, male or female and was Emily deceased at this time?
ALSO terribly wrong that the family was not immediately notified of her disappearance. I cannot find any reason for this. tribal case management put her in this home, they should have let mom know immediately would this have changed the outcome, I don't know but feel it is possible. If Emily was trying to make her way home.... mom and family could have been searching for a week that time was lost

I can answer this one, since a residential center is open 24x7, staff is usually working 3 or 4 different shifts, and have little to no contact with each other. Since the corporate culture wants these homes to be making money, usually staff is college students, part time workers, often they don't show up for work, especially on weekend nights. So, staffing is thin and stretched. Sometimes, people have 2 or 3 jobs.

There is literally never a time when everyone comes together, as a "staff". So, communication between weekday staff, and weekend staff is minimal to none. A few emails, sometimes a few minutes of "staffing" during shift changes. It is completely hit and miss.

I worked at a teen home, literally, we never had a clue what was going on with the kids. I was there on the weekends, kids would lie, tell me they had a pass to visit their parents, okay. They would leave. Day staff is full time, and they didn't want tons of text messages to ask who could leave, or whatever, on their weekends. There is a constant revolving door, people getting kicked out, going to jail, moving back with parents, going to another residential house.

There are different levels. Some kids were in "lock down", but mostly those kids went to juvie, or jail, because a group home isn't usually a locked facility. It is a "home". This is due to changes in laws, and history of children "locked" in residential homes.

FWIW. Doesn't surprise me at all.

 

[Cryptic]

A couple of HUGE issues I have with this, February 11 the group home employee gets a vm, wouldn't the caller have called police or ????? child services, I just don't feel that the employees would be the ones getting a voicemail and not the home, an employee...

Decades ago, I was a temporary maintenance / spruce up contractor with a group home.

I suspect that the employee who received the call might have been a case worker or councilor. Youth had their case worker's number and would often contact them first about anything. This past practice of calling caseworkers first and foremost could imply that the caller was also from the group home.

As a side note.....

A disgruntled assistant nurse told me that the place (not the group home in question, but a different one) was a massive drug fueled "circle of love" that kept on giving and giving. She then related that:

- Staff referred the kids to a "white coat" pill mill dealer to get a variety of chill pills. Doctor was paid with the full expectation that he always wrote the expected "scripts" with no questions asked.

- Tranquilized kids were easier to handle for staff. Kids liked the effects and parents enjoyed the lower maintenance daughters and sons and- willingly sent them back for additional therapy / "therapy".

- The kids were a Motley Crue of budding drug addicts, emotionally troubled youth and youth who should be in jail, but good lawyers arranged for "treatment" instead of jail.

The place I worked at did not have criminal youth in the full predatory sense. The nurse said management was deathly afraid of losing a lucrative military contract for wayward youth from a nearby base if violence got out of hand. So, they rejected them fast. Doped, angry and lacking social skills? No problem- just bring sufficient insurance cash.

She added that Uncle Sam's insurance paid very well and Uncle Sam's insurance reps never questioned any, you know.... "creative" therapy billings.

But.... one of our "unofficial foster children" was placed in another group home for recreational drug rehab. She told us that she was attacked by full predatory female youth seeking to truly hurt her, not just have a slap and hair pull fest. She was then blamed for the attack and put in isolation:

- Count one: Not having enough "street sense" to avoid angering the predators (used "their" bathroom's hallowed sink / mirror, should have known better- right?)
- Count Two: Not having enough "street creds" to effectively fight back or deter an attack.
- Count Three: Causing problems for staff due to Count 1 and Count 2

So... my bet is that there can be truly dangerous youth in some of these group homes. If so, she may of been victimized by a current resident, or an "alumni (s)"

 

[Tricia]

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[Elle81]

As far as gang activity I haven't observed any when I've been around there but that doesn't mean it isn't happening.

As far as the nearby group home/girls shelter I was in the majority of the girls there were not because of behavioral problems. Most had been removed from their homes from abuse, neglect etc. I remember a pair of sisters that were 11 and 13 that had been taken because their Mom was pimping them out. I was there for about a year because my Mom got sick, lost her job (and was a bit of a mental basketcase) and we became homeless.

I never saw anyone "drugged", only once saw a girl put in a strait jacket type thing when she was completely freaking out trying to attack staff and other girls. We had some kind staff and we had some jerks. Just in the year I was there they cycled many people thru, lots of people would quit.

I will never forget my bottom bunk room mate Marjorie. She was there because she was pregnant...by her father. He had molested and raped her for years, she was never removed until the pregnancy. She was there until a month after she had the baby and completely fell a part because they decided to place both her and her baby BACK WITH HER PARENTS!! It haunted me and my heart just bled for her.

2 years later I actually ran into her at a Country Thunder concert and she caught me up. Within 6 months her Dad was trying to touch her again. A few months before she turned 18 she took her daughter and ran in the middle of the night. She stayed hidden with some friends until she did hit 18 and no longer was in danger of being sent back and could apply for benefits and help for her and the baby. She was there with her fiance, seemed like a very nice guy and she said things were going well, she had a job, they were renting a house and his mother would watch her daughter. She seemed happy and said she just wanted to move on. She was always the kindest girl, the nicest one I met my whole time in the system. I cannot imagine how much worse her situation could have been if she stayed. Her Dad would have probably started abusing her baby or worse. Not like I had any faith in the system but I was absolutely terrified of it after watching her situation.

 

[Elle81]

Also each 1 of us had our caseworkers contact info. However the entire time I was in the system and tried to reach her many, many, many times I got thru exactly once. She never returned vm's or answered any of the other times. All the other girls had the same problem.

 

[mickey2942]

Also each 1 of us had our caseworkers contact info. However the entire time I was in the system and tried to reach her many, many, many times I got thru exactly once. She never returned vm's or answered any of the other times. All the other girls had the same problem.

So true. And so sad. I hope you are in a better place. I used to do that work. And got burned out, because I was so involved in a dysfunctional system. I actually got in trouble for going and picking up a girl who was being abused by her foster care siblings. Apparently, I was supposed to assume she was lying, and not create "drama".

I hope they find who did this. It sounds like some sort of Cartel killing.

 

[formerlyme]

Also each 1 of us had our caseworkers contact info. However the entire time I was in the system and tried to reach her many, many, many times I got thru exactly once. She never returned vm's or answered any of the other times. All the other girls had the same problem.

the article had me thinking it was someone calling in a tip unidentified not a resident or other , so thinking it could have been someone who had a relationship with the home makes a bit more possible.

 

[formerlyme]

Nice to see some national coverage.

Death of Emily Pike, teen found dismembered in Arizona, spurs calls for regulation of group homes

The 14-year-old was found Feb. 14, weeks after she sneaked out of her Mesa group home.

www.nbcnews.com