Human head, hands found in freezer belong to missing teen, police say

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Human remains discovered in a freezer of a recently sold home in Mesa County earlier this year have been identified.

Human remains were found in 2024 inside of a home sold in Grand Junction, Colo. (Scripps News Denver)

The human head and hands were identified by the Mesa County Coroner’s Office as Amanda Leariel Overstreet, who was 16 years old at the time she disappeared.

The grisly discovery was made on January 12, 2024 by someone who came to the home in the 2900 block of Pinyon Avenue to acquire the freezer from the new owner of the home, said the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.

“Overstreet has not been seen or heard from since April 2005. Amanda Overstreet was the biological daughter of the previous owner of the home,” according to a news release.

Investigators in January said it was believed to be an isolated incident and on Friday added the “circumstances surrounding her disappearance remain under investigation.”

It appeared Overstreet had not been reported missing – or at least there “was no record” of that happening, said the sheriff’s office.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office at 970-244-3266.

This story was originally published by Jeff Anastasio at Scripps News Denver, an E.W. Scripps Company.