Authorities believe an Indigenous teen found dead in Arizona was killed and are seeking for the perpetrator.
Challistia Colelay, 16, was discovered dead near Whiteriver, Ariz., part of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, on November 3, according to the White Mountain Apache Police Department.
According to AZFamily, Colelay has been missing since October 27.
“She was the baby of the family and she always went by ‘Baby girl’ or ‘Tia girl’ and was always smiling and teasing everyone she came in contact with,” Colelay’s sister said in a GoFundMe. “She loved painting, drawing, crafting, going camping, fishing, and just driving the back roads with family, she loved being outdoors.”
According to AZFamily, FOX 10, and ABC15, the Bureau of Indian Affairs is conducting a homicide investigation into Colelay’s death.
The police agency did not explain how Colelay was slain or how her body was recovered.
The girl’s family told ABC15 that her body was discovered less than a mile from her house.
Darlene Gomez, an attorney and activist for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives, spoke with Arizona Family about the case.
“It breaks my heart because this goes on far too often and I think when police departments have very good training and strict policies on what to do when they have a child who is a runaway, I think that helps prevent children like Tia who go missing and end up getting murdered,” Gomez told the media.
Colelay’s sister stated that she was one of 12 children and was the “outgoing, funny, goofy sister that we all loved.”
