PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is working every angle to discover what happened to 18-year-old Parker League.
The teen from Nebraska's body was found in a bonfire pit in a remote area of Bullfrog Canyon off Hackamore Road.
The grim discovery was made by a resident in the area the morning of June 12. MCSO described League's death as "malicious."
On June 22, MCSO officials spoke out publicly about the case for the first time. Still, they refrained from disclosing several details to protect the integrity of the homicide investigation, including how the teen got to the desert and what happened to him.
“The information we have available for release is he was found in the pile burning. So as far as the other details of whether he was placed there, whether that's where he was, those are details we can't get into," said Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez, a public information officer with MCSO. "Only certain people know details of that crime, so they can't be released to protect the integrity of investigation.”
League recently graduated from high school and was from Nebraska. Officials said he was visiting a friend in Tempe. However, it was ultimately a family member out of state who reported him missing.
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The missing person's report was made to Tempe PD on June 15, three days after MCSO had launched its investigation and was working to identify the victim.
Tempe police told 12News League's last known location was a home in Tempe where his belongings were left behind.
“He was visiting a friend," Enriquez said. "The investigation continues to determine whether this was this a family friend? Was this a close friend? Was this somebody he met? We don't know.”
"Do you believe you know who did this at this point?” asked 12News reporter Bianca Buono.
“We’re working the investigation. And when we say that we have possible leads, that can be a good thing or it can turn out to be nothing. But we work every avenue, every angle, especially with a crime like this, in such a remote area," Enriquez said. "We also rely on physical evidence. And you're talking about the elements of where this was found a whole day after maybe. So we deal with a lot of different elements that we have to go through. But to say that we know who did this would be premature.”
As officials search for the suspect, MCSO said they are increasing patrols in the Hackamore area. Residents have recently raised concerns about increased homelessness, illegal camping and crime in the area.
“Somebody's out of state. What are they doing there? We don't know," Enriquez said. "Very popular area for off-roading, for gathering, and things like that. But at this point, we are trying to find those answers.”
MCSO is asking the public for information.
If you were in the Hackamore area and saw anything out of the ordinary, or if you have information about League's case, you are asked to call MCSO at 602-876-TIPS. They said any piece of information helps.
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