Missing Queen Creek area teen's body found in Glendale

Police in Glendale believe they may have identified human remains found in Glendale backyard as those of a Queen Creek-area teen missing since October.

The remains were located in the backyard of a Glendale residence in the area of 5300 W. Cactus Road on June 8.

“The body is believed to be that of a 16-year-old white male who was reported missing out of Queen Creek,” according to a statement from a Glendale Police spokesman on Thursday. “He was last seen in October of 2023, so it is believed that the body was there in the yard all of that time. Additionally, this appears to be self-inflicted and not a homicide.”

Police are awaiting autopsy results to make sure “for 100% certainty that the individual is who we believe it to be.”

At the time the remains were found, Glendale Police stated that the body was that of an approximately 6-foot-tall male, between the ages of 15 to 16, with brown hair. He had a tattoo with the word "blessed" both on the inside and outside of his forearm.

As the body was decomposed, a sketch of a young man released to the media by Glendale Police was an artist’s rendering based on skeletal structure, police stated.

Tips from the public following media reports are credited with helping law enforcement identify the remains, the Glendale Police statement added.

“Currently, we are comfortable sharing that the tip came from the person who drew the tattoo. They recognized it immediately from news reports,” the spokesman stated.

Police said they will release the name of the teen once they have received the final report from the Medical Examiner's Office.