The La Paz County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona has confirmed the recovery of a woman’s body, previously reported missing near Blythe, a small town in California close to the Arizona border. The woman, identified as 26-year-old Amanda Nenigar, was discovered on Friday evening around 7:30 p.m. in the vicinity of Cibola, Arizona, a small southwestern town in La Paz County with a population of less than 300.
The search and rescue team found Nenigar’s body under a tree, approximately 1.5 miles from where her abandoned car was located. She was identified by a distinctive rose tattoo on her right hand. The authorities were hopeful of finding her alive, making the discovery disheartening and tragic for her family and the search team, according to La Paz County Sheriff William Ponce.
Investigators found Nenigar’s clothes not far from her body, leading them to speculate that she might have been trying to cool down by undressing and seeking shade under a tree. The possibility of death due to exposure is being considered, but the official cause of death will be determined by an autopsy report.
Sheriff Ponce indicated that the state of decomposition of the body suggests that Nenigar may have been deceased for a significant period. He expressed regret over the delay in receiving critical information that could have potentially led to her being found alive.
Nenigar’s sister, Marissa, expressed her shock and grief over the situation, questioning how her sister could have been overlooked for so long. She also voiced her distress over the circumstances in which her sister was found.
The Sheriff’s deputies are now focusing on conducting an autopsy to gather more information about the circumstances leading to Nenigar’s death. Further details were not immediately available.
Nenigar was last seen alive in Blythe, California, on February 28. Her car was discovered abandoned in the rural Arizona desert south of Cibola about a week later. Nenigar, who lived near Blythe, was known to frequently travel to La Paz County, where she had family.
The circumstances in which her car was found were described as “extra bizarre” by the sheriff. The vehicle was found with its rear end on a large boulder, adding to the mystery and concern surrounding her disappearance and subsequent death.