Maeve Kiley
On January 27th, 14-year-old Emily was reported missing by her Group Home Leader in Mesa. The Mesa Police stated that Emily had a history of running away, so they assumed this was just another runaway foster teen. Her last sighting was near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road in Mesa.
Weeks passed, and Emily was not found. Her mother, Steff Dosela, was not told that her daughter was missing until a week later by Emily’s case manager. It wasn’t until Valentine’s Day, 18 days later, that Emily’s mother finally received news.
Her body was discovered in a wooded area by U.S. 60, a few miles away from the Jackson Butte Recreation area. Detectives found Emily dismembered and spread among numerous contractor garbage bags. Her hands and arms are still missing. The Sheriff’s Office reported that the preliminary autopsy results found Emily had visible face and head trauma.
The police have three subjects, but none of their names have been made public. While local authorities investigate, Emily’s family has been left in turmoil. “I used to take her and her little brother to Sunday school,” said Agatha Kui, Emily’s grandmother, in an interview.
“She was just an innocent … she was a baby,” Steff Dosela said. “She was a very happy and kind person. She loved painting. She loved art. She loved to draw.” Her mother also stated that Emily’s 15th birthday was in May, and she dreamed of someday attending art school. She was young, hopeful, and had a bright future. All of this was stripped away from her. The world robbed another young soul.
Emily and her family are members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. The National Crime Information Center reports that, in 2016 alone, 5,712 missing Indigenous women were reported, and those numbers have grown. According to a 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), more than four in five (84.3 percent) American & Canadian Indigenous women experience violence in their life timeline, with 56.1 percent experiencing sexual violence. This ongoing crisis targeting the Indigenous populations has taken a backseat in the minds of the media, who would instead focus on missing cases that focus around young, Caucasian women.
In fact, according to research conducted by the Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society, missing Caucasian girls and women are overrepresented in news and media coverage by 8.81 percent. This phenomenon is called ‘The Missing White Woman Syndrome’ and is seen heavily in American and Canadian news programs. Even though minority women, such as those belonging to Indigenous and African American groups, make up a more significant percentage of missing persons cases, news programs will rarely focus on them unless they are found dead.
This can be seen with Emily Pike, whose missing status was not covered in major American news sites, and even now, after her death, she is not garnering the same amount of attention as cases that involve unsolved murders of white women.
Race and ethnicity should not determine whether missing person cases get media attention. All cases should be given top priority, primarily when they revolve around missing children who are already highly vulnerable.
Thankfully, social media accounts and activist groups have called to give Emily Pike and other missing and/or murdered Indigenous women the attention they deserve. Spreading news of these cases helps prevent similar cases, assists law enforcement in solving them, and promotes justice.
“You’ll never be forgotten. I love you,” Steff Dosela said. “Until we meet again, rest in peace.”
If you would like to support Emily Pike’s family and her memory, donate to the GoFundMe set up by her loved ones for Emily’s funeral, memorial, and family expenses during this difficult time. GoFundMe can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-for-emily-pikes-final-farewell
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