Glendale police believe they have identified the human remains found earlier this month. The police reported this after a message was posted on social media asking the public for information.
In the post to X, formerly known as Twitter, police said the remains were found June 8 in the backyard of a home near West Cactus Road. They described the person as a male teenager, approximately 15 to 16 years old, approximately 6 feet tall, with brown hair. They also provided a police sketch of the body. His arms were tattooed.
Officials said the tip that helped them identify the remains came from the person who drew the tattoos. They recognized it after seeing the news reports.
Officials said the body was believed to be a 16-year-old white male who was reportedly missing from Queen Creek. They believed the body had been in the backyard of the home since October 2023, when he was last seen.
They have not revealed the cause of death, but they believe it was self-inflicted.
Officials said they are grateful to the public, who they say provided more than 100 tips about the incident.
Annie Goodykoontz is a reporter for The Arizona Republic. You can reach her at AGoodykoontz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Glendale PD says they have identified human remains found in early June
