2 missing Arizona teens found dead in water basin after leaving group home
01/27/2023 11:42 am PST
MESA, Ariz. (TCD) -- A 15-year-old and 17-year-old were found dead in a water basin and positively identified after they were reported missing from a local group home earlier this month.
On Saturday, Jan. 21, at approximately 6 p.m., a pedestrian on Southern Avenue and Superstition Springs Boulevard reportedly saw a body in the water and initially believed it was a mannequin, AZ Family reports. Police arrived at the scene and located an additional body nearby.
Officials identified the two victims as 15-year-old Kamryn Meyers and 17-year-old Sitlalli Avelar. The medical examiner is reportedly conducting an autopsy to determine cause of death, but investigators suspect the girls had been in the water for several days. Police reportedly believe foul play could have been a factor in their deaths.
According to KNXV-TV, Meyers and Avelar disappeared Jan. 7 from their group home in Mesa. They were reportedly not required to stay, but officials from the home allegedly took steps to contact officials that the two teens left.
Brad Miller, an attorney with the organization that operates the homes, told KNXV, "They’re not allowed to lock these children in these facilities. So, oftentimes, the children are free to leave."
He said staff members "followed their standard operating procedure and encouraged these girls to stay. But in the end, they chose not to stay, and then of course immediately the staff went into action, called the DCS hotline, they called the case workers. They filed the incident report."
One of Meyers’ friends told AZ Family, "She’s an incredible person, always happy, makes everybody laugh and has the best jokes."
The friend added, "I think all of us were really heartbroken and shocked. The idea of someone with that big of a heart and always willing to light up a room no matter what was going on in her own life just sucks to see it happen to somebody who really doesn’t deserve it."
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