Mesa police renew appeal and $175,000 reward in murder of 14-year-old Emily Pike, releasing new body camera video from night missing teen disappeared from group home

Mesa police renewed their appeal and announced a $175,000 reward Wednesday in the unsolved murder of 14-year-old Emily Pike, who disappeared from a group home in Mesa, Arizona, on Jan. 27, 2025. Officials released new body camera footage from the night of her disappearance to help identify leads in the investigation after her remains were found near the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation on Feb. 14, 2025.

The department also released new body camera footage from the night Pike vanished, hoping the video will generate new leads. The footage shows events near the group home in Mesa, where Pike was last seen walking away on Jan. 27, 2025, officials said.

The Mesa Police Department announced the $175,000 reward Wednesday to encourage anyone with information about Emily Pike’s disappearance and murder to come forward.

Pike, a 14-year-old member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, was reported missing after she left the group home on foot. Her remains were found on Feb. 14, 2025, inside two large trash bags on state land near Forest Road 355, close to the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Gila County, roughly 100 miles from Mesa, according to the Mesa Police Department and the Gila County Sheriff’s Office. The remains were discovered near U.S. 60, northeast of Globe, records show.

An autopsy concluded Pike died from homicidal violence involving blunt head trauma, ABC15 reported, citing officials. Investigators noted that Pike’s arms and hands were missing when her remains were found, and the body was dismembered into two parts, according to a People magazine summary of the case. Authorities have not publicly identified the location where Pike was killed, and it remains unclear whether she was murdered at the discovery site or moved there afterward, sources confirmed.

The investigation into Pike’s death has involved multiple agencies, including the Mesa Police Department, Gila County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the San Carlos Apache Police Department. As of early March 2025, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office was leading the inquiry, and no suspects had been publicly identified, officials said. The FBI initially declined to participate but later joined the investigation, according to reporting by The Arizona Republic.

The case has remained unsolved more than a year after Pike’s disappearance. In May 2025, the San Carlos Apache Tribe offered a $75,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case, tribal representatives said. The tribe has since continued to seek accountability and justice for Pike’s murder. The renewed $175,000 reward announced by Mesa police is intended to supplement earlier efforts and increase public involvement.

Community members have responded to the tragedy by creating a memorial at the site where Pike was last seen alive in Mesa. The memorial includes messages, stuffed animals, and other tributes. A candlelight vigil was held in March 2025 to honor Pike, local reports stated. The case has also been referenced within the broader context of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, an ongoing crisis affecting Native communities.

Key dates in the case include Pike’s disappearance on Jan. 27, 2025, and the discovery of her remains on Feb. 14, 2025. The investigation has continued through 2025 and into 2026 without resolution, with authorities urging anyone with information to come forward. Officials have not released the full contents of the newly released body camera footage but emphasized its potential value in identifying Pike’s last movements and possible suspects.

The exact circumstances surrounding Pike’s death, including the time and place of the homicide and the identity of the perpetrator or perpetrators, remain unknown. Law enforcement agencies continue to investigate the case as a homicide, with no arrests reported as of the latest updates in early 2026.