SAN CARLOS, AZ — The San Carlos Apache Tribe held a vigil for Emily Pike on Saturday, who was reported missing out of a Mesa group home and was found weeks later dismembered off the US 60 northeast of Globe.
Pike's family is calling the 14-year-old a symbol and the San Carlos community is calling for action.
"Emily has awoken this light and this courage to speak up," Alyssa Dosela, Pike's aunt.
As hundreds gathered to honor Pike on Saturday, tribal leadership announced a new reward in the case.
"Our San Carlos Council is offering a reward of $75,000 for information leading to the arrest of whomever committed this horrible act," said Chairman Terry Rambler.
The tribe is also starting an independent study to review internal processes and will be meeting with state leaders and sister tribes.
"So we can all unite and work together to improve the group home standard of those group homes off reservation where we send our children too," Rambler said.
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Pike was reported missing from a group home in Mesa in January. Over the past three years, Mesa police say that there have been 30 missing person reports out of the group home. After Pike's death, the Arizona Department of Child Safety opened a license inquiry into the home.
Since Pike's death, there has been a renewed focus on making sure something like this doesn't happen again.
"She's become a symbol, and we've just got to keep raising awareness on missing and murdered Native Americans," Pike's uncle, Allred Pike Jr., told ABC15 on Wednesday.
Legislators and community advocates are pushing for new legislation that would expand missing person reporting and guidelines and that would establish an alert system for missing Indigenous people.
HB 2479, passed in 2024, provides reporting requirements and guidelines. Advocates are now hoping to expand the bill in Pike's honor.
HB 2281 is currently being seen by state legislature and would establish an alert system for missing Indigenous people, similar to the AMBER Alert system. The bill passed in the House and is now moving through the Senate, with a hearing set for March 17.
ABC15 has sent the Gila County Sheriff's Office a list of questions and have not yet received a response. On Thursday, the office said they do not have any solid persons of interest or suspects in the case.
