Coroner: Body parts found in freezer belong to 16-year-old girl last seen in 2005

by · UPI

Oct. 13 (UPI) -- A human head and hand found in a freezer early this year have been identified as belonging to a 16-year-old Colorado girl who disappeared in 2005, authorities said.

The body parts were discovered Jan. 12 in an appliance at a residence in the 2900 block of Pinyon Avenue in Colorado's Mesa County near Grand Junction city. Authorities said they were called to the scene by a person claiming the freezer being offered for free by the residence's new owners.

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The Mesa County Coroner's Office announced in a statement Friday that, via DNA testing, they were able to identify the remains as those of Amanda Leariel Overstreet, who was the biological daughter of the residence's previous owners.

It is believed that Overstreet was about 16 years old when she disappeared. Authorities said she had not been seen or heard from since April 2005.

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The investigation into Overstreet's disappearance is now focused on the residence, which the Mesa County Sheriff's Office said in a statement is under new ownership who are "completely unrelated" to the case.

"The house was purchased, fully remodeled and sold to the current owner. We urge you to respect the current owner and their neighbors' privacy and avoid driving by the home or taking photos," the sheriff's office said.

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The sheriff's office said there is no record that Overstreet was ever reported missing.

Mesa County Sheriff's Office public information office Wendy Likes said in a statement to media they are asking the public for time "to really figure out what happened."

"We want to be sure that it's a thorough investigation, that we get all the details and the facts right," Likes said, adding that it's "very sad" a child went missing and there is no record of her disappearance.