Human body parts discovered in a freezer have been identified as the remains of a teenage girl who vanished nearly two decades ago.
Amanda Leariel Overstreet, the daughter of the property’s previous owner, was last seen or heard from in April 2005, when she was around 16.
She was not officially reported missing and her whereabouts had been a mystery, until this week’s grim discovery.
The body parts was found after the new home owner listed a freezer for free to clear out the house in Colorado.
A person who collected it found ‘the head and hands of a human’ inside of the appliance, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to a call reporting the suspicious incident at the home on the 2900 block of Pinyon Avenue in Grand Junction on January 12.
Nine months later, on Friday, the county coroner’s office identified the victim as Amanda.
‘Amanda is believed to have been approximately 16 years old at the time of her disappearance,’ stated the sheriff’s office.
‘Amanda Overstreet was the biological daughter of the previous owner of the home.’
Her disappearance remains a mystery and is under investigation.
Authorities plan to conduct forensic testing on the evidence.
On Friday, the sheriff’s office also wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the Pinyon Avenue home is under new ownership ‘completely unrelated to the previous case’.
‘The house was purchased, fully remodeled, and sold to the current owner,’ wrote the agency.
‘We urge you to respect the current owners and their neighbors’ privacy and avoid driving by the home or taking photos.’
At the time of the gruesome discovery in January, the sheriff’s office investigated the case as a possible homicide and cautioned the public against jumping to conclusions.
‘We want to make sure that someone doesn’t find out their loved one has passed away through rumors and innuendo,’ said agency spokeswoman Wendy Likes.
Likes told the Daily Mail that the victim was the biological daughter of the widowed homeowner, Leanne Overstreet Imer, 55, and that her late husband Bradley Imer was the teen’s stepdad.
Likes refused to comment on whether Amanda’s biological dad has been identified or interviewed.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
