An Arizona group home manager says Slain Indigenous girl Emily Pike, 14, left a Mesa group home for girls in January, reportedly to return to her friends and family on the San Carlos Apache Reservation.

“She just missed her family. It was that simple,” Elizabeth Morales, the group home’s operator, told Arizona Republic. “Did I think she was running away because she was afraid? No. … Was she gone and planning on going for good? No.”

“All I see is her smile. Emily was extremely sweet. Everything Emily had to say came from her smile.”

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Emily was reported missing in late January. She was last seen walking near Phoenix before investigators found most of her remains on Febraury 14, but some have yet to be recovered.

Pike was in the group home when she vanished from the Mesa area. Her former roommate told the media that Pike had a history of running away, and that she vanished after wanting to be with a boy she met while taking guitar lessons.

Information regarding Pike’s death leaked to the public late last month via a memo from Gila County police and social media. The memo indicated that Pike’s head and torso were found in bags. Her arms and hands are reportedly still missing.

Officials and family members said her body was discovered in a forest area near Globe, nearly 100 miles from where she disappeared. An autopsy indicated she suffered facial and head trauma.

Gila County police are handling the case and treating it as a homicide. There are currently no arrests.

Meanwhile, Mesa police revealed that 30 children had gone missing from this particular group home in the past three years. They also noted that Emily had run away before.

Morales dismissed reports of the missing children, claiming all had been accounted for. He also touched on lockdowns and restraints rumors, confirming those practices are not used. He also called internet rumors of cults, blood sacrifices, and vampirism false and misleading.

“We’re not a cult. We’re not sucking the blood from children. We’re not abusing our children. I’ve heard it all, and so have my children. … It’s scary. The kids already have anxiety. They have trauma. This is something out of left field.”

Emily reportedly had close bonds on the reservation but no steady home. Her parents were separated. Her father, recently jailed on arson charges, had a history of incarceration.

Her mother had custody but was not always around, relatives told the Republic.

Now, the tribe is offering a $75,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case, 12 News reports.

During a vigil earlier this month, the San Carlos Apache Tribe announced a reward to honor the late Emily Pike.

In a Facebook post, Terry Rambler, Chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, expressed his sentiments, stating, “I am honored and humbled to be here in the memory of Emily Pike. My continued prayers go out to the families of Emily.”

Azcentral reports that the sheriff’s office announced Monday that multiple agencies formed the task force, including the sheriff’s office, the San Carlos Apache Police Department, the Mesa Police Department, the FBI, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The task force was formed shortly after the San Carlos Apache Tribe offered a $75,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in Emily’s case. To assist in the investigation, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office and the San Carlos Apache Police Department have set up an online tip portal where anonymous tips can be submitted through tips411.

Information can also be reported to the Sheriff’s Office at 928-425-4449, option 1, or the San Carlos Apache Police Department at 928-475-1700.

Check back for updates.

[Feature Photo via Mesa police]