Body parts belonging to a teenage girl who was last seen in 2005 were found in a Colorado home in January.
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that the death of 16-year-old Amanda Leariel Overstreet is being investigated as a homicide, NBC News reported.
An image shows the home where the body parts were found:
The sheriff’s office noted that authorities are also conducting forensic testing of evidence regarding the case, adding that there is no record of the teenager ever being reported missing.
The agency detailed the discovery on Friday in a post on its website:
On January 12, 2024, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding a suspicious incident in the 2900 block of Pinyon Avenue. Upon arrival, Deputies found the head and hands of a human had been discovered in a freezer by someone who arrived to claim the free appliance offered by the new owner of the recently sold home.
On October 11, 2024, the Mesa County Coroner’s Office released the identity of the victim of the Pinyon Avenue Homicide case. Through DNA testing, the victim is identified as Amanda Leariel Overstreet. Amanda is believed to have been approximately 16 years old at the time of her disappearance. Overstreet has not been seen or heard from since April 2005. Amanda Overstreet was the biological daughter of the previous owner of the home.
According to the NBC article, the rest of the teenager’s body has not yet been located. The young woman also reportedly lived in Harris County, Texas.
Video footage shows crews wearing white hazmat suits and masks as they emerged from the house:
In a social media post on Friday, the sheriff’s office emphasized the fact that the home is “under new ownership, completely unrelated to the previous case. The house was purchased, fully remodeled, and sold to the current owner.”
The agency urged people to avoid driving past the house or taking pictures of the residence.