DNA forensics helps identify remains found in Colorado freezer as teenager missing for nearly 20 years

A human head and set of hands found inside a freezer at a western Colorado home recently sold before the discovery in January have been discovered as those of a 16-year-old girl who went missing almost 20 years ago.

On Jan. 12, people were cleaning out a Grand Junction, Colorado, home, located nearly 200 miles west of Denver, when they discovered a human head and hands inside a freezer.

On Friday, the Mesa County Coroner’s Office announced that, through DNA testing, the victim was identified as Amanda Leariel Overstreet.

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office said Overstreet is believed to have been about 16 years old when she disappeared, adding that she had not been seen or heard from since April 2005.

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A lab technician performs DNA testing on human remains. (Boris Horvat/AFP via Getty Images)

Overstreet was the biological daughter of the previous owner of the home, which has since changed ownership multiple times.

While the remains have been identified as Overstreet, investigators continue to look into the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and forensic testing for evidence remains ongoing. 

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The Mesa County Sheriff's Office in Colorado identified remains found in a freezer in January as those of a 16-year-old girl who went missing in 2005. (iStock)

The sheriff’s office also said there is no record of Overstreet ever being reported missing.

Since the discovery of the remains, investigators have been in contact with the home’s previous owners, the sheriff’s office said at the time.

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Police told Houston Public Media no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified.

In a post on social media, the sheriff’s office added that the home where the homicide investigation is centered is under new ownership by people completely unrelated to the case, urging the public to respect the current owner’s and neighbor’s privacy.