Girl whose remains were found in Gila County identified

PHOENIX – Officials with the Gila County Sheriff’s Office say they have identified a female whose remains were found on Valentine’s Day.

What we know:

According to a statement released on Feb. 27, the woman’s remains were found in an area near milepost 277 along US 60, to the north of Globe.

“On February 27, 2025, the unidentified female has been identified as a juvenile from the San Carlos Apache Tribe, who was reported as a Missing/Runaway Juvenile out of the Mesa Police Department,” read a portion of the statement. “Next of kin has been notified.”

In a later statement, GCSO identified the girl as 14-year-old Emily Pike.

Dig deeper:

On Feb. 26, officials with GCSO addressed a Facebook post regarding the incident.

“Due to the circumstances, it was decided that further information needed to be investigated before any public notification. There was no indication that there was an active threat to the community,” a portion of the statement read. “Unfortunately, the information on Facebook was intended only for Law Enforcement Agencies and was leaked.”

What’s next:

Officials say a murder investigation remains ongoing.