The body parts of a teenage girl who has not been seen since at least 2005 were found inside a freezer of a recently sold home in Colorado, officials said.
In January, deputies for the Mesa County Sheriff's Office responded to the 2900 block of Pinyon Avenue in the Grand Junction area over calls of "possible human remains." Speaking with KUSA, neighbor Sam Troester said the new owners were selling scrap metal and a deep freezer left behind by the previous property owner.
The buyers of the freezer showed up at the property and were emptying it for transport when a human head and dismembered hands fell out, Troester told the outlet.
Investigators searched the property but failed to find more body parts. At the time, it was unclear who the remains belonged to, how long the person was dead, and how they died. It was also unclear whether the victim was male or female.
Identifying the Victim
On Oct. 11, Friday, the Mesa County Sheriff's Office published a press release wherein they confirmed that the remains belonged to 16-year-old Amanda Leariel Overstreet. The teen was last seen in April 2005.
Overstreet was never reported missing.
What Was Her Cause of Death
As of last Friday, officials for the Mesa County Sheriff's Office said they are still investigating the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and death. They are also still conducting forensic testing of evidence.
However, it was noted that Overstreet's biological family---which consisted of a mother, a father, their son, and their daughter---owned the home before it was sold. They moved out on Jan. 12.
Speaking with ABC affiliate KJCT News 8, neighbor Jameson Perez said he remembered Overstreet when she was still a "little girl," adding that he saw her last when she was "on her way to school."
Perez also told the outlet that there may have been signs of foul play, adding that the home smelled of "mildew" whenever he and the dogs would walk by it.
Officials said they conducted DNA testing to confirm the identity of the remains. They are now treating the case as a homicide.
