EMILY PIKE: Previously missing 14-year-old found dismembered on side of highway in Arizona (1 Viewer)

Homicide investigation underway after girl missing from Mesa was found dead near Globe

A homicide investigation is underway after the remains of a missing girl were found earlier this month, according to the Gila County Sheriff's Office.

www.abc15.com

Homicide investigation underway after girl missing from Mesa was found dead near Globe​

A homicide investigation is underway after the remains of a missing girl were found earlier this month, according to the Gila County Sheriff's Office.

On February 14, the remains of an unidentified female were located off Highway 60 near milepost 277, northeast of Globe.

On Thursday, GCSO said the remains were identified as a girl from the San Carlos Apache Tribe missing out of Mesa.

Officials confirmed Friday that the remains were that of 14-year-old Emily Pike.

Mesa Police Department said Pike was last seen after leaving a residence near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road on January 27.

The incident is being investigated as a homicide.

Anyone with any information regarding this case is asked to contact the Gila County Sheriff's Office detective at 928-200-2352, the Bureau of Indian Affairs special agent at 505-917-7830, or the San Carlos Apache Tribal Police detective at 928-475-1755.

GRAPHIC: Body of missing 14-year-old girl found dismembered off highway, authorities say

Arizona authorities confirmed a missing teen has been found dead off an area highway.

www.kktv.com

GRAPHIC: Body of missing 14-year-old girl found dismembered off highway, authorities say​

The Gila County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday that the body that was found in the woods belonged to a missing Native American girl.

According to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office, the girl was identified as 14-year-old Emily Pike, who was last seen on Jan. 27 near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road.

Deputies said Emily was from the San Carlos Apache Tribe, and the Gila County Sheriff’s Office is leading the homicide investigation.

Authorities called the scene disturbing where they discovered the teen’s body off the U.S. 60, a few miles away from the Jackson Butte Recreation area on Feb. 14.

The sheriff’s office said detectives found a head and torso in large contractor trash bags with the girl’s legs in separate bags.

However, they couldn’t find her arms and hands.

The preliminary autopsy results found the girl had visible face and head trauma.

 

[Tresir]

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2025/05/01/emily-pike-sexual-assault-case-has-law-enforcement-clashing/83334435007/

Special agent closed Emily Pike sexual assault case within days despite arrest of suspect​

Days after Emily Pike reported being sexually assaulted on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in 2023, a federal investigator was ready to close the case for lack of evidence.

A special agent with Bureau of Indian Affairs, who had interviewed Emily, said the 13-year-old could not answer questions about the attack and offered details that could not be independently verified, according to interviews and records shared with The Arizona Republic.

"Emily was unable to provide specific dates and times of when such offenses actually occurred," Special Agent Jose Verdugo wrote in a July 19, 2023, incident report. "The case lacked physical evidence and/or corroborating information."

Verdugo said he spoke with the U.S. Attorney's Office "regarding the information and concluded the case would not be suitable for federal prosecution."

But federal prosecutors maintain no federal or tribal law enforcement agency submitted a case for a review of charges, a required step before a prosecution is declined.

The Arizona U.S. Attorney's Office told The Republic it has no record of receiving paperwork or phone calls suggesting any agency tried to make a case in Emily's sexual assault, even after tribal authorities briefly arrested a suspect in 2023.

"We never received a submission," U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson Esther Winne said. "There was no written declaration."

An April 15 investigation by The Republic found the tribe's Game and Fish Department, not the San Carlos Apache Police Department, was the lead agency in the case, and tribal prosecutors released the suspect, who was not charged.

The sexual assault and its aftermath help to explain Emily's dramatic behavioral shift. She went from a soft-spoken and smiling artist to a withdrawn, self-destructive teen who attempted suicide on multiple occasions, even after the tribal Social Services Department removed her from her home in Peridot.

Tribal leaders promised an independent review to find out why the alleged assailant wasn't charged and why the tribe's "specialized law enforcement officers were excluded from the investigation."

A Bureau of Indian Affairs spokesperson told The Republic on April 30 the sexual assault was "closed administratively" because of insufficient evidence.

"However, it can be reopened if additional information or evidence is provided," BIA spokesperson Joshua Barnett said in an email.


The finger-pointing among federal and tribal agencies underscores what Emily's relatives describe as systemic failures in the tribal social safety net and why so many agencies were unable to protect her.

"Everyone let that girl down," Emily's uncle Allred Pike Jr. told The Republic. "The system failed her in all aspects."


Emily's mother, Steff Dosela, wants questions about Emily's sexual assault to stop.

In an April 29 interview, she told The Republic she worries her daughter won't be able to "rest" if her past is continually dredged up. She said Emily won't be able to find peace.

Dosela said the focus needs to be on finding her killer.

Dosela confirmed she was present when the Bureau of Affairs agent and a tribal official interviewed Emily about the assault. She said she felt like the agent disliked her family or "was tired of hearing" about them.

Both Dosela and her husband, Jensen Pike, have long histories with addiction. Jensen lived on the streets in Phoenix and has been in and out of prison. He is currently incarcerated in Eloy on arson and criminal damage charges.

Lawyers representing Jensen said on April 25 they were preparing to sue Morales' group home, although no lawsuit has yet been filed.

Dosela, who spends much of her day posting memories of Emily and sharing pictures of other missing children on Facebook, said she was not involved in the lawsuit and has no interest in benefiting financially from her daughter's death.

She said she is now a month and a half sober and her only interest was in keeping other kids safe.

Ok so mum doesn't want her daughter's assaults discussed. So she doesn't suspect the assailant could be the person responsible for her daughter's murder and dismemberment?

 

[Tresir]

I found this article that gives some more info about the perp in the SA.

Emily Pike reported two sexual assaults before going into foster care

New details are emerging about the prior victimization of Emily Pike, an Arizona teen who was found murdered in February.

www.abc15.com

New details are emerging about the prior victimization of Emily Pike, an Arizona teen who was found murdered in February. Federal law enforcement agents told ABC15 this week they investigated two sexual assault allegations from Emily in 2023. Shortly after the second report, San Carlos Apache tribal social service workers took custody of Emily. She spent the next 18 months in foster care, including a Mesa group home, before she ran away in January 2025.

By: Melissa Blasius
Posted 2:54 AM, May 02, 2025

and last updated 3:44 AM, May 02, 2025
New details are emerging about the prior victimization of Emily Pike, an Arizona teen who was found murdered in February.
Federal law enforcement agents told ABC15 this week they investigated two sexual assault allegations from Emily in 2023.
Shortly after the second report, San Carlos Apache tribal social service workers took custody of Emily. She spent the next 18 months in foster care, including a Mesa group home, before she ran away in January 2025.
Her body was found near Globe on February 14. No suspects have been identified in her murder.
On Thursday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed its agents investigated a report that Emily was sexually assaulted in the Whiteriver area in early 2023.
The alleged crime occurred on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. An FBI spokesman told ABC15 that the suspect was not prosecuted in Emily's case, but he has been indicted on other federal charges.
Federal court records show the man was indicted in 2024 on counts of aggravated sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact, and sexual abuse of a minor.

​

ABC15 is committed to finding the answers you need and holding those accountable.

Submit your news tip to Investigators@abc15.com

One of the victims listed in the indictment was between 12 and 16 years old when the crime occurred. Federal court records show the man was ordered to be detained in federal custody pending trial slated for July.


As ABC15 previously reported, Emily also reported in July 2023 that she was sexually assaulted by a different perpetrator on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation.
Tribal law enforcement officers referred the case to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
"BIA agents conducted a full investigation, including arranging a specialized child forensic interview at a child advocacy center and coordinating with other agencies, including federal and tribal prosecutors and tribal social services," BIA's spokesperson wrote in an email to ABC15.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix told ABC15 the July 2023 case was never "submitted to our office for review." No criminal charges were ever filed.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe is offering a $75,000 reward to help find the person who killed Emily Pike.
If you have any information, you can call the Gila County Sheriff's Office or leave an online tip here.

​

​

 

[RoundPeg]

This case just haunts me.

A young girl assaulted on 2 different reservations. C'mon people, protect these children better.

Mamas, shout it from the rooftops if your child is assaulted. You don't want to talk about it? Well, your kid is in literal pieces.

Shame on all of you! You make me sick.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Can't say I disagree, this girl was failed in many ways. Mom may care but it's hard to believe it when she was an addict, daughter ends up in a home, mom brings in someone who ends up in prison and probably already had been in prison and is also an addict. What kind of life did this child even have? Pursue that SA, MOVE your child out of there and get clean.

To the perp/s who took her life, I hope when arrested, he is charged with the DP and feels the full force of hatred that I and I'd say many others feel for what he did.

 

[Tresir]

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2025/05/01/emily-pike-sexual-assault-case-has-law-enforcement-clashing/83334435007/

Special agent closed Emily Pike sexual assault case within days despite arrest of suspect​

Days after Emily Pike reported being sexually assaulted on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in 2023, a federal investigator was ready to close the case for lack of evidence.

A special agent with Bureau of Indian Affairs, who had interviewed Emily, said the 13-year-old could not answer questions about the attack and offered details that could not be independently verified, according to interviews and records shared with The Arizona Republic.

"Emily was unable to provide specific dates and times of when such offenses actually occurred," Special Agent Jose Verdugo wrote in a July 19, 2023, incident report. "The case lacked physical evidence and/or corroborating information."

Verdugo said he spoke with the U.S. Attorney's Office "regarding the information and concluded the case would not be suitable for federal prosecution."

But federal prosecutors maintain no federal or tribal law enforcement agency submitted a case for a review of charges, a required step before a prosecution is declined.

The Arizona U.S. Attorney's Office told The Republic it has no record of receiving paperwork or phone calls suggesting any agency tried to make a case in Emily's sexual assault, even after tribal authorities briefly arrested a suspect in 2023.

"We never received a submission," U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson Esther Winne said. "There was no written declaration."

An April 15 investigation by The Republic found the tribe's Game and Fish Department, not the San Carlos Apache Police Department, was the lead agency in the case, and tribal prosecutors released the suspect, who was not charged.

The sexual assault and its aftermath help to explain Emily's dramatic behavioral shift. She went from a soft-spoken and smiling artist to a withdrawn, self-destructive teen who attempted suicide on multiple occasions, even after the tribal Social Services Department removed her from her home in Peridot.

Tribal leaders promised an independent review to find out why the alleged assailant wasn't charged and why the tribe's "specialized law enforcement officers were excluded from the investigation."

A Bureau of Indian Affairs spokesperson told The Republic on April 30 the sexual assault was "closed administratively" because of insufficient evidence.

"However, it can be reopened if additional information or evidence is provided," BIA spokesperson Joshua Barnett said in an email.


The finger-pointing among federal and tribal agencies underscores what Emily's relatives describe as systemic failures in the tribal social safety net and why so many agencies were unable to protect her.

"Everyone let that girl down," Emily's uncle Allred Pike Jr. told The Republic. "The system failed her in all aspects."


Emily's mother, Steff Dosela, wants questions about Emily's sexual assault to stop.

In an April 29 interview, she told The Republic she worries her daughter won't be able to "rest" if her past is continually dredged up. She said Emily won't be able to find peace.

Dosela said the focus needs to be on finding her killer.

Dosela confirmed she was present when the Bureau of Affairs agent and a tribal official interviewed Emily about the assault. She said she felt like the agent disliked her family or "was tired of hearing" about them.

Both Dosela and her husband, Jensen Pike, have long histories with addiction. Jensen lived on the streets in Phoenix and has been in and out of prison. He is currently incarcerated in Eloy on arson and criminal damage charges.

Lawyers representing Jensen said on April 25 they were preparing to sue Morales' group home, although no lawsuit has yet been filed.

Dosela, who spends much of her day posting memories of Emily and sharing pictures of other missing children on Facebook, said she was not involved in the lawsuit and has no interest in benefiting financially from her daughter's death.

She said she is now a month and a half sober and her only interest was in keeping other kids safe.

So the mother, as of 1 Apr is a month and a half sober. That tells me a lot and with the father in jail, what chance did this young girl have? As the uncle said, everyone failed her. It is a sad case for sure. Now she needs justice so lets see if the authorities, whoever they may be, can get this murder solved before it happens again to another vulnerable teen.

 

[GrandmaBear]

So the mother, as of 1 Apr is a month and a half sober. That tells me a lot and with the father in jail, what chance did this young girl have? As the uncle said, everyone failed her. It is a sad case for sure. Now she needs justice so lets see if the authorities, whoever they may be, can get this murder solved before it happens again to another vulnerable teen.

Yes she was failed in many ways. And while I won't say all, hate to generalize, having their own "LE" i don't think is always a good thing, often things are covered or people covered for imo and it isn't usually victim first. Jmo. That home needs to be looked at too.

 

[Tresir]

Here's another article that has quite a lot more info.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2025/04/26/emily-pike-parents-sue-mesa-group-home/83289904007/

 

[GrandmaBear]

Here's another article that has quite a lot more info.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2025/04/26/emily-pike-parents-sue-mesa-group-home/83289904007/

Have to subscribe for $ to read.

The parents (one a stepparent I believe is NOT a good look at this point in it in my opinion. One day maybe, not now.

 

[Tresir]

Have to subscribe for $ to read.

The parents (one a stepparent I believe is NOT a good look at this point in it in my opinion. One day maybe, not now.

It was free for me but was a special EU. link that came up. Copy pasta for you.

Story Summary

• The father of 14-year-old Emily Pike, whose remains were found in February, is working with lawyers to sue the group home where she was last seen.
• The girl's aunts and uncle oppose the lawsuit, stating any funds should go toward a foundation in the girl's name or to help solve her murder.
• Emily had run away from the group home multiple times and had a history of self-harm and suicide attempts.

The father of a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found off Highway 60 on Valentine's Day is taking steps to sue the Mesa group home where she was last seen alive.
Emily Pike's father met with lawyers from the Phillips Law Group and agreed to file a lawsuit from a prison in Eloy, where he is serving time for arson and criminal damage, his mother said on April 25.
"My son is the one who's doing it," Emily's grandmother, Agatha Key, told The Republic. "He called me and told me ... They (lawyers) went there and talked to him."
Jensen Pike, a member of the San Carlos Apache tribe, told lawyers he wants justice for his daughter, Key said.
News of the lawsuit was met with outrage by other members of the Pike family, who helped to organize her memorial service in March and have led efforts to bring national attention to her case.
"This lawsuit is wrong on so many levels," Emily's aunt, Carolyn Pike-Bender, said Friday. "It is very upsetting."
Pike-Bender, who in 2023 sought to adopt Emily, said the lawsuit undermines public statements her family has made about not wanting to benefit from Emily's death.
"If money is going to come out of this, it should go to a foundation set up in Emily's name," she said.
Key initially told The Republic that Jensen and Emily's mother, Steff Dosela, were both involved in the lawsuit and that lawyers had talked to Dosela by phone. But on April 26 Key backed off those claims and said only her son was involved.
Dosela, on April 26, said she was not contacted by any lawyers and was unaware of the lawsuit plan until after Key came forward. However, Dosela said she was not opposed to suing the group home and would consider signing on to a lawsuit, especially if it could protect other children.
"Yes, if there a chance to save other kids' lives out there," she said. "Having a daughter, I want no other kids' mothers especially to go through what I'm going through."
Representatives of Phillips Law Group confirmed on April 26 no lawsuit has yet been filed. The firm so far represents only Jensen in the case. A spokesperson said the firm was also working closely with Key, who has helped coordinate communication with her son.
"There has been no lawsuit filed on behalf of the family of Emily Pike," Phillips Law Group spokesperson Olivia Lemorrocco said. "The family is currently investigating all potential avenues of recourse, including a civil claim against the group home."
Lemorrocco said the law firm is collecting public records about group homes to determine if any procedures were violated at the one where Emily lived.
"We will turn over every rock to get justice for Emily and her family," she said.
The law group's Facebook page on April 25 said it was an honor to represent Pike's family in the action against the group home.
"Far too many tragedies are unfolding within these facilities, and we are committed to fighting for justice for Emily and her family," the firm said in its post.

View |20 Photos
Emily Pike's memorial in San Carlos, Arizona
Emily Pike's family, friends and community attended her memorial at San Carlos High School in San Carlos, Arizona.

Emily Pike's story: A history of runaway and suicide attempts​

Emily ran away from a group home near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road on Jan. 27 by slipping out of her bedroom window, according to police reports and interviews. Her remains were found more than two weeks later in a pair of trash bags on a berm about 27 miles north of Globe.
Her torso and head were found in one bag and her legs in another. Her hands and arms were missing.
An April 15 investigation by The Arizona Republic found Emily was removed from her mother's home in Peridot after she was sexually assaulted by a relative on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in July 2023, when she was 13.
The assault case was handled by the tribal Game and Fish Department, not the tribe's Police Department. Her alleged assailant was taken into custody, but tribal prosecutors released him without charges.
The sexual assault and its aftermath help to explain Emily's dramatic behavioral shift from a soft-spoken and smiling artist to a withdrawn, self-destructive teen who attempted suicide on multiple occasions.
Interviews and police records show the tribal Social Services Department took custody of Emily and placed her in the Mesa group home for her own safety.
Group home owner Liz Morales could not be reached for comment on the lawsuit.
Morales previously told The Republic that weeks before Emily was brought to the group home she had tried to hang herself and had cut marks on her arm.
Emily's stay in the group home was punctuated by runaway attempts, according to interviews and records. Emily ran away four times between September and November 2023. Three times, Mesa police picked her up, and another time she returned on her own.
On Nov. 8, 2023, Emily attempted suicide just before 10 a.m., when a staff member found Emily in a master bedroom closet with a shoestring around her neck and tied to a doorknob. She tried again a few weeks later while on a family trip to Colorado with Pike-Bender, when she attempted to grab a police officer's gun and said she would see her family in hell.

Morales said she flew to Colorado to bring Emily back to Mesa. Emily was admitted into a secure behavioral treatment center and stayed for a year before returning to the group home about a month before she disappeared.

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Community comes together for Emily Pike's memorial in San Carlos
Emily Pike's family, friends and community attended her memorial at San Carlos High School in San Carlos, Arizona.

State agency reviews group home’s actions​

The Arizona Department of Child Safety, which oversees group homes in the state, launched an investigation into the group home after Emily's body was found. But the department appeared to clear Morales and her staff.
"At this time, the Department does not believe any action taken, or not taken, by the group home caused the terrible outcome in this case," a department spokesperson said in a March 12 statement. "We have opened a licensing inquiry to determine whether appropriate steps were taken by the group home during this incident.”
Mesa police said the group home had reported fewer incidences of runaways than other group homes. The department had opened 30 missing person investigations involving 18 children from the group home since 2022. Some, like Emily, ran away multiple times. The department located all but one of the children and closed their cases.
The remaining open case involved a girl who was a few weeks away from her 18th birthday and worried she would be picked up by the Department of Child Safety if she came forward, Morales said.
San Carlos Apache tribal leaders initially blamed the group home for failing to protect Emily and other children. The tribe on March 24 publicly named Morales' company and requested a state review of licensing requirements for all residential care facilities.
The tribe, however, was mum about Emily's sexual assault. The tribe on April 14, prompted by inquiries from The Republic, promised to launch an independent investigation into the handling of the case.
"The tribe is now addressing serious concerns about the handling of sexual assault charges Emily Pike made in 2023," the tribe said in a statement. "Questions have arisen regarding why the alleged assailant was not prosecuted and why the Tribe's Police and specialized law enforcement officers were excluded from the investigation, which was managed by game rangers lacking expertise in sensitive child sexual offense cases."
The tribe said it would seek expert law enforcement assistance to conduct its review.

View |28 Photos
Emily Pike family, community call for justice of slain teen at vigil
Emily Pike's brutal death has sparked outrage on social media and a resurgence of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People movement.

A symbol for missing and murdered Indigenous women​

Emily’s father was in and out of prison and for years, lived on the streets in Phoenix, according to relatives, including his mother. They said Emily's mother was also addicted to drugs and had trouble caring for her children.
In an April 8 interview, Dosela said little about her daughter's assault or if the person accused of attacking Emily continued visiting the family home. She acknowledged her daughter's placement in the group home, saying Emily needed "mental health" treatment.
Dosela, in an April 23 Facebook post, said she had been sober for a month and a half.
"Not much but I'm happy and proud of myself, thanks for God help and my family and kids' love and support and for all of you out there, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much, it means the world to me," she said in the post.
Her Facebook page shows scores of posts about Emily, including pictures, personal messages and missives. Dosela also posted flyers of missing children and made pleas for their safe return.
Emily's smiling face became the latest symbol in the call for justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women. Tribal communities held marches and vigils. Women painted red handprints across their mouths and faces to represent the inability of victims to cry out.
Local artists painted a large mural of Emily on a water tank in Peridot. They vowed she would not be forgotten.
Hundreds gathered for Emily's March 29 memorial service at San Carlos High School, filling the gymnasium as her pink and purple casket was carried inside. Attendees wore pale pink roses pinned to their shirts and dresses.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe in March announced a $75,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in Emily's homicide case. Tribal community members privately raised money to put up billboards advertising the reward in Miami, Superior and Globe.
They asked anyone with information about Emily's death to call the Gila County Sheriff's Office or the San Carlos Police Department.

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Hundreds gather at the Apache Gold Casino for a candlelight vigil for Emily Pike
Members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe gathered for a candlelight vigil for Emily Pike on March 15, 2025. Pike was found dead on Feb. 14 near Globe

’Anybody making money off Emily is wrong’​

Emily’s relatives said they were concerned a lawsuit against the group home could distract from the effort to bring her killer to justice.
"We were blindsided and frustrated by it," Emily's uncle, Allred Pike Jr. said Friday. "It is sickening."
Allred said he isn't sure how his brother was "talked into" filing a lawsuit and questioned its purpose. He has said the failure to protect Emily is shared by multiple people and tribal agencies: "Everyone let that girl down. The system failed her in all aspects."
Emily's aunt, Trinnie Pike, echoed his concerns, and said any money generated from a lawsuit should be used to assist in solving her case and bringing attention to missing and murdered indigenous women.
"Anybody making money off of Emily is wrong," she said.

Services for Arizonans in crisis​

If you or anyone you know is considering suicide, self-harm or is struggling with mental health, resources are available. Here are some of them:

• Dial 2-1-1 to reach 211 Arizona.
• Solari Crisis & Human Services offers a free statewide crisis line 24/7/365 — dial 844-534-HOPE (4673). Help is also available 24/7/365 via text by texting “hope” to 4HOPE (4673).
• Dial 988 to reach the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Help is available in English and Spanish. It's free and confidential for those in distress who need prevention or crisis resources for themselves or loved ones.
• La Frontera Empact Suicide Prevention Center's crisis line serves Maricopa and Pinal counties 24/7 at 480-784-1500.
• Teen Lifeline 24/7 crisis line serves teens at 602-248-8336 for Maricopa County and 1-800-248-8336 statewide.
• The Trevor Project Lifeline serves LGBTQ+ youth at 866-488-7386.

 

[GrandmaBear]

It was free for me but was a special EU. link that came up. Copy pasta for you.

Story Summary

• The father of 14-year-old Emily Pike, whose remains were found in February, is working with lawyers to sue the group home where she was last seen.
• The girl's aunts and uncle oppose the lawsuit, stating any funds should go toward a foundation in the girl's name or to help solve her murder.
• Emily had run away from the group home multiple times and had a history of self-harm and suicide attempts.

The father of a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found off Highway 60 on Valentine's Day is taking steps to sue the Mesa group home where she was last seen alive.
Emily Pike's father met with lawyers from the Phillips Law Group and agreed to file a lawsuit from a prison in Eloy, where he is serving time for arson and criminal damage, his mother said on April 25.
"My son is the one who's doing it," Emily's grandmother, Agatha Key, told The Republic. "He called me and told me ... They (lawyers) went there and talked to him."
Jensen Pike, a member of the San Carlos Apache tribe, told lawyers he wants justice for his daughter, Key said.
News of the lawsuit was met with outrage by other members of the Pike family, who helped to organize her memorial service in March and have led efforts to bring national attention to her case.
"This lawsuit is wrong on so many levels," Emily's aunt, Carolyn Pike-Bender, said Friday. "It is very upsetting."
Pike-Bender, who in 2023 sought to adopt Emily, said the lawsuit undermines public statements her family has made about not wanting to benefit from Emily's death.
"If money is going to come out of this, it should go to a foundation set up in Emily's name," she said.
Key initially told The Republic that Jensen and Emily's mother, Steff Dosela, were both involved in the lawsuit and that lawyers had talked to Dosela by phone. But on April 26 Key backed off those claims and said only her son was involved.
Dosela, on April 26, said she was not contacted by any lawyers and was unaware of the lawsuit plan until after Key came forward. However, Dosela said she was not opposed to suing the group home and would consider signing on to a lawsuit, especially if it could protect other children.
"Yes, if there a chance to save other kids' lives out there," she said. "Having a daughter, I want no other kids' mothers especially to go through what I'm going through."
Representatives of Phillips Law Group confirmed on April 26 no lawsuit has yet been filed. The firm so far represents only Jensen in the case. A spokesperson said the firm was also working closely with Key, who has helped coordinate communication with her son.
"There has been no lawsuit filed on behalf of the family of Emily Pike," Phillips Law Group spokesperson Olivia Lemorrocco said. "The family is currently investigating all potential avenues of recourse, including a civil claim against the group home."
Lemorrocco said the law firm is collecting public records about group homes to determine if any procedures were violated at the one where Emily lived.
"We will turn over every rock to get justice for Emily and her family," she said.
The law group's Facebook page on April 25 said it was an honor to represent Pike's family in the action against the group home.
"Far too many tragedies are unfolding within these facilities, and we are committed to fighting for justice for Emily and her family," the firm said in its post.

View |20 Photos
Emily Pike's memorial in San Carlos, Arizona
Emily Pike's family, friends and community attended her memorial at San Carlos High School in San Carlos, Arizona.

Emily Pike's story: A history of runaway and suicide attempts​

Emily ran away from a group home near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road on Jan. 27 by slipping out of her bedroom window, according to police reports and interviews. Her remains were found more than two weeks later in a pair of trash bags on a berm about 27 miles north of Globe.
Her torso and head were found in one bag and her legs in another. Her hands and arms were missing.
An April 15 investigation by The Arizona Republic found Emily was removed from her mother's home in Peridot after she was sexually assaulted by a relative on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in July 2023, when she was 13.
The assault case was handled by the tribal Game and Fish Department, not the tribe's Police Department. Her alleged assailant was taken into custody, but tribal prosecutors released him without charges.
The sexual assault and its aftermath help to explain Emily's dramatic behavioral shift from a soft-spoken and smiling artist to a withdrawn, self-destructive teen who attempted suicide on multiple occasions.
Interviews and police records show the tribal Social Services Department took custody of Emily and placed her in the Mesa group home for her own safety.
Group home owner Liz Morales could not be reached for comment on the lawsuit.
Morales previously told The Republic that weeks before Emily was brought to the group home she had tried to hang herself and had cut marks on her arm.
Emily's stay in the group home was punctuated by runaway attempts, according to interviews and records. Emily ran away four times between September and November 2023. Three times, Mesa police picked her up, and another time she returned on her own.
On Nov. 8, 2023, Emily attempted suicide just before 10 a.m., when a staff member found Emily in a master bedroom closet with a shoestring around her neck and tied to a doorknob. She tried again a few weeks later while on a family trip to Colorado with Pike-Bender, when she attempted to grab a police officer's gun and said she would see her family in hell.

Morales said she flew to Colorado to bring Emily back to Mesa. Emily was admitted into a secure behavioral treatment center and stayed for a year before returning to the group home about a month before she disappeared.

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Community comes together for Emily Pike's memorial in San Carlos
Emily Pike's family, friends and community attended her memorial at San Carlos High School in San Carlos, Arizona.

State agency reviews group home’s actions​

The Arizona Department of Child Safety, which oversees group homes in the state, launched an investigation into the group home after Emily's body was found. But the department appeared to clear Morales and her staff.
"At this time, the Department does not believe any action taken, or not taken, by the group home caused the terrible outcome in this case," a department spokesperson said in a March 12 statement. "We have opened a licensing inquiry to determine whether appropriate steps were taken by the group home during this incident.”
Mesa police said the group home had reported fewer incidences of runaways than other group homes. The department had opened 30 missing person investigations involving 18 children from the group home since 2022. Some, like Emily, ran away multiple times. The department located all but one of the children and closed their cases.
The remaining open case involved a girl who was a few weeks away from her 18th birthday and worried she would be picked up by the Department of Child Safety if she came forward, Morales said.
San Carlos Apache tribal leaders initially blamed the group home for failing to protect Emily and other children. The tribe on March 24 publicly named Morales' company and requested a state review of licensing requirements for all residential care facilities.
The tribe, however, was mum about Emily's sexual assault. The tribe on April 14, prompted by inquiries from The Republic, promised to launch an independent investigation into the handling of the case.
"The tribe is now addressing serious concerns about the handling of sexual assault charges Emily Pike made in 2023," the tribe said in a statement. "Questions have arisen regarding why the alleged assailant was not prosecuted and why the Tribe's Police and specialized law enforcement officers were excluded from the investigation, which was managed by game rangers lacking expertise in sensitive child sexual offense cases."
The tribe said it would seek expert law enforcement assistance to conduct its review.

View |28 Photos
Emily Pike family, community call for justice of slain teen at vigil
Emily Pike's brutal death has sparked outrage on social media and a resurgence of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People movement.

A symbol for missing and murdered Indigenous women​

Emily’s father was in and out of prison and for years, lived on the streets in Phoenix, according to relatives, including his mother. They said Emily's mother was also addicted to drugs and had trouble caring for her children.
In an April 8 interview, Dosela said little about her daughter's assault or if the person accused of attacking Emily continued visiting the family home. She acknowledged her daughter's placement in the group home, saying Emily needed "mental health" treatment.
Dosela, in an April 23 Facebook post, said she had been sober for a month and a half.
"Not much but I'm happy and proud of myself, thanks for God help and my family and kids' love and support and for all of you out there, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much, it means the world to me," she said in the post.
Her Facebook page shows scores of posts about Emily, including pictures, personal messages and missives. Dosela also posted flyers of missing children and made pleas for their safe return.
Emily's smiling face became the latest symbol in the call for justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women. Tribal communities held marches and vigils. Women painted red handprints across their mouths and faces to represent the inability of victims to cry out.
Local artists painted a large mural of Emily on a water tank in Peridot. They vowed she would not be forgotten.
Hundreds gathered for Emily's March 29 memorial service at San Carlos High School, filling the gymnasium as her pink and purple casket was carried inside. Attendees wore pale pink roses pinned to their shirts and dresses.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe in March announced a $75,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in Emily's homicide case. Tribal community members privately raised money to put up billboards advertising the reward in Miami, Superior and Globe.
They asked anyone with information about Emily's death to call the Gila County Sheriff's Office or the San Carlos Police Department.

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Hundreds gather at the Apache Gold Casino for a candlelight vigil for Emily Pike
Members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe gathered for a candlelight vigil for Emily Pike on March 15, 2025. Pike was found dead on Feb. 14 near Globe

’Anybody making money off Emily is wrong’​

Emily’s relatives said they were concerned a lawsuit against the group home could distract from the effort to bring her killer to justice.
"We were blindsided and frustrated by it," Emily's uncle, Allred Pike Jr. said Friday. "It is sickening."
Allred said he isn't sure how his brother was "talked into" filing a lawsuit and questioned its purpose. He has said the failure to protect Emily is shared by multiple people and tribal agencies: "Everyone let that girl down. The system failed her in all aspects."
Emily's aunt, Trinnie Pike, echoed his concerns, and said any money generated from a lawsuit should be used to assist in solving her case and bringing attention to missing and murdered indigenous women.
"Anybody making money off of Emily is wrong," she said.

Services for Arizonans in crisis​

If you or anyone you know is considering suicide, self-harm or is struggling with mental health, resources are available. Here are some of them:

• Dial 2-1-1 to reach 211 Arizona.
• Solari Crisis & Human Services offers a free statewide crisis line 24/7/365 — dial 844-534-HOPE (4673). Help is also available 24/7/365 via text by texting “hope” to 4HOPE (4673).
• Dial 988 to reach the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Help is available in English and Spanish. It's free and confidential for those in distress who need prevention or crisis resources for themselves or loved ones.
• La Frontera Empact Suicide Prevention Center's crisis line serves Maricopa and Pinal counties 24/7 at 480-784-1500.
• Teen Lifeline 24/7 crisis line serves teens at 602-248-8336 for Maricopa County and 1-800-248-8336 statewide.
• The Trevor Project Lifeline serves LGBTQ+ youth at 866-488-7386.

Thank you! You are the BEST at copying pasta and it is helpful.

While her mother is clearly not perfect, neither she nor the rest of the family are after personal money like dad is and that's disgusting and it shows what a loser dad and lowlife he is. For all we know he molested her and is why she had to be removed from the home. I see not a single sign he ever cared about his daughter.

The law firm that approached him is disgusting as well.

While the home for one may deserve to be sued, I think he should also worry about it being DISMANTLED but he is only after money. And as far as suing them, the timing isn't right and the intent hs to be not to profit personally imo.

While mom seems to be far from perfect, not her nor another member of the family is looking to profit personally other than dad. He didn't care one whit for his child imo EVER.

He is very clearly a TOTAL loser.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

'I hate it there': New video shows Emily Pike wanted out of group home before murder

Newly released body camera video from the Mesa Police Department provides more details about the night Emily Pike disappeared from her Valley group home.

www.abc15.com

'I hate it there': New video shows Emily Pike wanted out of group home before murder​

Newly released body camera video from the Mesa Police Department provides more details about the night Emily Pike disappeared from her Valley group home.

ABC15 obtained videos from two separate times the San Carlos Apache teen was reported missing from the group home.

Those videos also show the teen wanted to go home and talk to her mom, instead of living at her Mesa group home.

Emily was reported missing from the home, operated by Sacred Journey Inc., three times in 2023, and then a fourth time in January 2025. She was found dead weeks later, off the U.S. 60, northeast of Globe.

In each of the 2023 cases, Pike was returned to the home or was taken to a behavioral health center within hours of employees alerting police.

In video from this date, a police officer spots the teen walking along a canal.

When he calls her name and identifies her, Emily at first denies that's her name.

"Emily, relax," says the officer. "Okay. I need to get you back where you need to go."

Eventually, Emily insists she does not want to go back to the group home.

"I just want to see my mom," said Emily.

The teen said the group home is not her home. At one point, Emily is heard saying she would rather stay with her grandma instead.

The then-13-year-old repeats that she wants to speak to her mom. At one point, she tells the officers no one understands her or is going to help her.

"I'm not going to go to that f****** group home," said Emily. "I hate it there."

Eventually, Emily does get into the car with police.


This body camera is being released on the heels of a legislative hearing last month that focused on Emily's case and group home protocol.

Sacred Journey Inc. did not show up at the hearing. State lawmakers said it was due to potential civil litigation that was being filed.

 

[GrandmaBear]

This group home hasa been sus to me from the start. No one should ever assume all such places are good.

Also to those that are anti YT here is a good example that much of YT is news if people want to do just news.

Everyone imo failed this child.

Maybe she was even a bit of a problem child (more likely good reason) but where they send them needs to have good care and good coping mechanisms. I don't see that here AT ALL. This officer imo was pretty good with her or he sure tried to be.

That group home should perhaps be sued but I don't think the money belongs in the hands of either parent from what I've seen. I suspect they should be shut down. Not convinced but i sure have suspected it from almost day one. I'd like to hear about the money there and where it goes one day, probably never will.

So politicians and people are throwing a lot of money towards a reward. I've rarely if ever seen a reward incentive work. At lest her case is getting attn though.

The rez and decisions need to be looked at too.

WHAT chance did this child have? I see basically none.

All these things imo need to be changed and looked at. Throwing money up or passing some wahtever thing is not going to fix a thing. They need to start getting to the heart of things.

It's a heartbreaking case.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Search warrants served in Emily Pike case but still no arrest made

The Gila County Sheriff's Office, the lead agency investigating Emily Pike's case, sent a major investigative update Thursday night.

www.abc15.com

Search warrants served in Emily Pike case but still no arrest made​

The Gila County Sheriff's Office, the lead agency investigating Emily Pike's case, sent a major investigative update Thursday night.

There have been no arrests in the case of the San Carlos Apache teen who was found dead on Feb. 14 after being reported missing from her Mesa group home.

GCSO sent ABC15 an update saying search warrants had been served, items sent off for testing, and there was a person of interest who was interviewed.

"Over the past few weeks, with the assistance of the FBI, there have been search warrants served on a residential structure, a vehicle, and a storage trailer," said Lt. James Lahti with GCSO. "Items seized from those locations have been sent to the laboratory for analysis to determine if there may be links to Emily Pike’s Investigation. A person of interest was contacted and interviewed, but nothing that leads us to believe he is our suspect."

GCSO also said that they are following up on leads and there has been data collected. ABC15 was told they couldn't release what that data was, but that it is being reviewed.


There is a combined $175,000 reward for information in Emily's case.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Hmm. Can only imagine hopefully they are building a case.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Cause of death revealed in Emily Pike death investigation case

The Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office has released the cause of 14-year-old Emily Pike’s death.

www.abc15.com

Cause of death revealed in Emily Pike death investigation case​

The Pinal County ME said Emily's cause of death was "homicidal violence with blunt head trauma." ABC15 was told this means they were both contributing factors.

ABC15 was told the full medical examiner's report is still restricted.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Well we knew it was likely to be bad considering the condition she was found in. Another step though I guess.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

What happened to San Carlos Apache teen Emily Pike? Few answers in her murder case 6 months later

Investigators have yet to make an arrest or identify any suspects. KJZZ retraces the case and Emily’s last known footsteps.

www.kjzz.org

What happened to San Carlos Apache teen Emily Pike? Few answers in her murder case 6 months later​

It’s been six months since San Carlos Apache teen Emily Pike went missing from an all-girls Mesa group home. The 14-year-old’s remains were discovered in garbage bags along an Arizona highway weeks later.

Investigators have yet to make an arrest or identify any suspects. KJZZ retraces the case and Emily’s last known footsteps.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Emily Pike murder: Tribal police dispel rumors of an arrest in the case

"It's very dangerous to just throw names out there. Someone can get hurt," said the uncle of Emily Pike, as police dispel rumors of an arrest being made in the teen's murder case.

www.fox10phoenix.com

Emily Pike murder: Tribal police dispel rumors of an arrest in the case​

It’s been almost seven months since 14-year-old Emily Pike’s remains were found along U.S. 60 near Globe, and while her case remains unsolved, rumors of an arrest began circulating on social media.

Now, police are responding to the rumors, saying they are not true.


"The news cycle used to be in the morning, in the afternoons, in the evening," said Ricardo Alvarado, a public information officer with the San Carlos Apache Police Department, which is assisting in the investigation. "Now anybody with a phone, anybody with the platform can post whatever they want, and it doesn't even have to be vetted anymore."

The department says a TikTok influencer posted a video claiming a suspect had been arrested in connection to Emily’s murder. Public Information Officer Ricardo Alvarado says the claim is not only untrue, but also dangerous.

"All the information in the video was false. It had not been vetted," Alvarado said. "When you have disinformation, especially something like this, it's volatile. It leads us to have to expand resources to try to obviously quell any of this stuff before it gets out of hand."

The rumor is also causing Emily’s family further distress.

"It's very dangerous to just throw names out there. Someone can get hurt," said Allred Pike Jr., Emily's uncle. "It gives false hope."

"It’s an emotional thing," said Bender.

Though they say every day waiting for news is difficult, their faith that justice will prevail has not been dampened.

"We are each going through our own ways of dealing with it," Bender said. "And just not knowing is very frustrating. This case is not going cold. It's not."

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Lawsuit filed against Emily Pike's group home

Phillip's Law Group has officially filed a suit on behalf of Emily Pike's dad, Jensen Pike, in Maricopa County.

www.abc15.com

Lawsuit filed against Emily Pike's group home​

Phillip's Law Group has officially filed a suit on behalf of Emily Pike's dad, Jensen Pike, in Maricopa County.

The civil complaint names Sacred Journey Inc., which was operating the Mesa group home where the San Carlos Apache teen was living before she was reported missing and later found murdered.

Emily was in the care of Tribal Social Services, but the Valley group home where she was living is licensed by the state.

The recently filed lawsuit alleges negligence and negligent hiring/retention, naming specifically Sacred Journey.

"At all relevant times, Defendant Sacred Journey, Inc. knew or should have known that Defendants John and Jane Doe Employees 1-5 each was an inexperienced, reckless, and negligent employee," said the complaint.


"So that leads us to believe what else was not followed when Emily's crying and asking for help at that group home, is she given help?" said Lemorrocco. "Is anybody there to give her basic needs and wants? And that's to be determined."

In April, ABC15 spoke with Elizabeth Morales, CEO of Sacred Journey, Inc.

"We go above and beyond. We're raising children and not just housing children. We're parenting children," Morales said. "I'm going to really take the time and energy to make sure that child is wrapped in services."

The group home has yet to respond to the lawsuit.

 

[GrandmaBear]

He failed his daughter as well.