Human head and hands found in freezer identified as remains of teenage girl who went missing 19 years ago

Tuesday, October 15, 2024 - Human body parts discovered in a freezer at a property have been identified as the remains of a teenage girl who went missing 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.

According to police, she was not officially reported missing and her whereabouts had been a mystery, until the recent discovery last week.

The body parts were found after the new homeowner wanted a freezer to be sold for free online 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.

Police responded to a call reporting the incident at the home on the 2900 block of Pinyon Avenue in Grand Junction on January 12.

Then 9 months later, last week 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.’

Police 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 remodelled, and sold to the current owner,’ wrote the agency.

‘We urge you to respect the current owners and their neighbours’ 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 rumours and innuendo,’ said agency spokeswoman Wendy Likes.

Likes told reporters 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.