‘This isn’t normal’: Hundreds mourn murdered Indigenous teen Emily Pike

Thursday night, in a small, packed worship room at Encounter AZ church in Mesa, an Apache lullaby floated over a crowd of hundreds. What began as one man’s song soon escalated into claps and grief-stricken cries.

The crowd was filled with members of Arizona’s 22 federally recognized Indigenous tribes, hailing from all corners of the state. Some had traveled from as far away as Nebraska. Inside the church, donning traditional tribal attire and accessories, they had united for a common purpose.

They were here to honor the life of Emily Pike, a 14-year-old girl and member of the small San Carlos Apache Tribe whose body was found last month. Weeks before that, Pike had been reported missing. Now, she is the latest name on a too-long list of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Some in the crowd wore red handprints painted across their mouths, a symbol adopted to raise awareness of a frequently overlooked epidemic of violence.

“Hearts were broken when she left this earth, tears shed across Indian country,” said Mary Kim Titla, executive director of United National Indian Tribal Youth. “Emily is one of ours. She’s become everyone's daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, relative. Many of us are healing from similar tragedies in our own families, including three of my own family members.”

Pike was reported missing in late January from a Mesa group home where she was living at the time. On Feb. 14, a bag containing her head and torso was found off US-60 northeast of Globe. The rest of her remains have yet to be located. Pike was not publicly identified as the victim until a Gila County Sheriff’s Office memo was leaked this week.

The Arizona Republic reported that the FBI and The Bureau of Indian Affairs have joined the Gila County Sheriff’s Office to investigate Pike’s disappearance and murder. While detectives say they have a few leads in the case, Pike’s killer remains at large and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance are still unclear. She was last seen near Mesa Drive and McKellips Road. A flower-filled memorial, where protesters gathered before and after the vigil on Thursday, now stands at that intersection.

At the vigil, Pike’s family members remembered her as someone who made everyone laugh and smile. Pike loved art, Roblox and her family. Her favorite song was “Sarah” by the singer Alex G. But beyond sharing remembrances, all the speakers at her vigil Thursday night echoed the same unifying sentiment: Regardless of tribe, relation, or background, Emily is everyone’s family, and their outcry in defense of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives will never be silenced.

“In times of great sorrow, it is with strength that our people come together,” said Elisia Manuel, the founder of the Native American grassroots organization Three Precious Miracles, which organized the vigil. Musicians also took the stage to perform traditional Apache songs and dances in Pike’s honor.

“When we come together, we make medicine,” said performer Nathan Nash. “That little girl brought us together, just as all of our missing and murdered Indigenous relatives bring us together. This isn’t normal, and this shouldn’t be happening. Let’s wake this country up.”

A tragic trend

Murders like Pike’s do happen, and all too often. Many speakers shared their own stories of family members who went missing and were later found murdered. Pike’s killing is another gutting reminder of the prevalence of violence against Indigenous women and girls. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement advocates for the awareness and end of such violence across the United States and Canada.

According to data collected by the National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College in 2023, 84.3% of Indigenous women have experienced violence. The Urban Indian Health Institute reports murder is the third leading cause of death amongst Indigenous women, with murder rates 10 times higher than the national average.

As of 2018, Arizona had the third-most cases of missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls in the country. Earlier this year, Arizona Luminaria partnered with the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Fund for Indigenous Journalists and the Data Driven Reporting Project to launch a database documenting Indigenous people who have gone missing or been murdered across Arizona. So far, just under 100 people are represented in the database.

“Our native people have brought MMIW to the front and center in her honor,” said San Carlos Apache Tribe Councilwoman Valerie Key-Cheney. “Now somebody is listening, now somebody hears us. We need to start speaking up louder, asking questions and demanding answers. That’s why we stand here, strong and proud and red.”

Titla, who wore pink in honor of Pike’s favorite color, said that the youth she serves in her organization recognize MMIW as not only a tragedy but an epidemic. She noted that Pike’s killer still being on the loose adds to her family’s burden.

“Emily deserves justice, and her family deserves closure,” she said. “She represented hope for her family, who also had big dreams for her. She represented a future that maybe some family members were not able to realize. Many women in our community were cheering for her.”

Before the vigil ended and attendees joined an even bigger crowd in the church parking lot, Destiny Kessay took the stage. A former Miss White Mountain Apache Queen, she shared that during the traditional Native American Sun Dance Ceremony, a medicine man often encourages participants to “paint their own sunset.”

“Now, our Emily gets to paint her own sunset,” Kessay said. “Now, we get to look at the beautiful sunsets from here on out that our baby girl paints.”

Anyone with information on Pike’s murder should contact the Gila County Sheriff’s Office (928-200-2352), Bureau of Indian Affairs (505-917-7830) and San Carlos Apache Tribe (928-475-1755).