Reconstruction of the decedent by NCMEC and Diana Trepkov; waistband of pants, shoe, hair tie worn on wrist; scar on hand. To view postmortem photographs, please click photo 1 and photo 2.
Reconstruction of the decedent by NCMEC and Diana Trepkov; waistband of pants, shoe, hair tie worn on wrist; scar on hand. To view postmortem photographs, please click photo 1 and photo 2.
Date of Discovery: April 27, 2002
Location of Discovery: Tempe, Maricopa County, Arizona
Estimated Date of Death: 24 hours prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Cocaine overdose
Estimated Age: 15-19 years old
Race: Hispanic and/or Native American
Sex: Female
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 125 lbs.
Hair Color: Black, 12" in length
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: scar approximately 1" long on back of her hand extending from just below pinky and ring finger area toward wrist; scar on left shoulder; faded purple polish on fingernails
Dentals: Available; x-rays
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Available; entered into CODIS
Clothing: Red tank top; blue Watch L.A. jeans with a side zipper and eyelets on waistband (see photo); blue underwear; black Lower Eastside slip-on shoes, size 6.5 with 3" wedge heels (see photo)
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Purple elastic hair tie around right wrist (see photo)
DNA Doe Project is working this case.
The decedent was hitchhiking near 32nd Street and Greenway Road in Phoenix, Arizona when she was picked up by a male driver. The driver took her to Tempe, where she wanted to buy tickets to a concert. Minutes later she changed her mind and asked to be driven to another location, where she met a male who got into the back seat and sold her cocaine. While conversing in Spanish, the decedent told the driver she had been kicked out of her house for drug abuse.
The female snorted the cocaine and began to have seizures. The driver dumped the decedent off behind a strip mall, told the drug dealer to call 911 from a nearby gas stataion, and then drove away.
A 911 call was placed from Circle K, but the call was unintelligible. The decedent died from an undisclosed amount of cocaine. Her body was discovered at 5:40 a.m., the next morning by a strip mall employee. The victim's death was not ruled as a homicide or accident due to the circumstaces described by the driver of the vehicle, who was linked to the victim through fingerprints by police.
Agency Name: Maricopa County Medical Examiner
Agency Contact Person: Christen Eggers, Medicolegal Death Investigator
Agency Phone Number: 602-506-3322
Agency E-Mail: christen.eggers(at)maricopa.gov
Agency Case Number: 02-1368
Agency Name: Tempe Police Department
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 480-350-8311
Agency E-Mail: tempe_police(at)tempe.gov
Agency Case Number: 02-067577
NCIC Case Number: U250003069
NamUs Case Number: 1987
NCMEC Case Number: 1111241
NamUs
NCMEC
Maricopa County Medical Examiner
The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) - Jan. 22, 2006
CNN
Added: 7/9/06; Last Updated: 11/3/21
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information may be estimated.
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