Emily Pike was a 14-year-old girl and a member of the Native American San Carlos Apache Tribe of Gila County. 

On Jan. 27,  Pike was reported missing from a group home she was residing in. The group home has a history of missing children, with 30 missing person reports coming out of the home, according to KPNX. Pike was listed as a missing runaway for less than a month until Valentine’s Day when portions of a body were discovered alongside a highway in Mesa. A few weeks later, a Gila County Sheriff’s Office internal memo was leaked, detailing the grotesque finding of a head and torso belonging to Pike, with her hands and legs missing and significant damage to her face and head. The rest of her body has yet to be found. 

After the memo was leaked, Pike’s case received intense media coverage and outrage from Native Americans across the country. Her death sparked conversations about the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women, with both Native Americans and non-Native Americans speaking out against the systemic injustices these victims face. Last week, hundreds of people gathered in Mesa with candles, posters, and prayers to honor Pike’s memory and call for justice. Attendees held speeches urging action to find Pike’s killer. There have been no arrests or suspects, according to police, but the FBI became involved in the investigation shortly after the pieces of her body were discovered. 

Many friends and family of Pike have spoken out about their grievance, explaining how bright of a child Pike was. She will be deeply missed by the Indigenous community.