Remains found in Glendale yard reported as missing Queen Creek teen

GLENDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — Authorities believe they have identified remains found in a Glendale yard earlier this month as those of a missing Queen Creek teenager.

On Thursday, Glendale authorities said they received a tip from the person who drew the boy's tattoos, who immediately recognized him. Police said the body is believed to be that of a 16-year-old boy who was reported missing in Queen Creek last year.

The teen was last seen in October 2023 and investigators believe his body has been in the yard since then. Unfortunately, authorities say his death appears to be self-inflicted.

Police are awaiting autopsy results to learn the teenager's name.

Authorities say the remains were found in the backyard of a home near 53rd Avenue and Cactus Road on June 8. Police said landscapers clearing overgrown weeds flagged down tenants who lived there. Officers arrived and identified the body as a boy between 15 and 16 years old, 6 feet tall and with brown hair.

“This body was found in a part of the yard that was not frequented by the people who live there and the vegetation was so overgrown in that yard that it served as camouflage for this individual,” Jose Santiago of the Glendale Police Department told Arizona's Family.

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