Human body parts discovered in the freezer of a home have been identified as belonging to a teenage girl who vanished nearly two decades ago.
A person who arrived at a Colorado residence to claim a free freezer offered by the new homeowner 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 Leariel Overstreet, who was last seen or heard from in April 2005.
‘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.’
There is not record of the teen having been reported missing.
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.
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