Law enforcement officials in Arizona are treating the death of 16-year-old Challistia Colelay as a homicide and are actively searching for the person responsible.
Colelay was found deceased on Nov. 3 in Whiteriver, Ariz., on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, according to the White Mountain Apache Police Department. She had been missing since Oct. 27, per AZFamily.
A GoFundMe created by her sister described Colelay as “the baby of the family,” who was affectionately known as “Baby girl” or “Tia girl.” Her sister wrote that she loved creative activities such as painting, drawing, and crafting, as well as camping, fishing, and spending time outdoors with family.
AZFamily, FOX 10 and ABC15 reported that the Bureau of Indian Affairs is handling the investigation as a suspected homicide.
Authorities have not released information regarding the cause of death or details surrounding how her body was located. ABC15 reported that her family said she was found less than a mile from her home.
Darlene Gomez, an attorney and advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives, told AZFamily that cases like Colelay’s reflect an ongoing crisis. “It breaks my heart because this goes on far too often,” she said, expressing the importance of strong protocols when a minor is reported missing.
Colelay’s sister wrote that she was one of 12 children and remembered as the “outgoing, funny, goofy sister that we all loved.”
