GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Glendale Police Department is asking the public to identify human remains found earlier this month.
Police said a landscaping company was called to a home near 51st Avenue and Cactus Road for a backyard with overgrown grass. Workers smelled a foul odor before discovering the remains.
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"These were landscapers that were hired to do a specific job, stumbled upon something that was traumatizing to them, and quite frankly, it was traumatizing to everybody involved," Jose Santiago, a Glendale Police public information officer, said.
Police said the people living in the home were unaware of the smell and remains.
"The body was found in an area of the backyard that wasn’t frequented by the family who was living there," Santiago said. "For all indications, they had no idea that this body was even in the backyard.”
Police said a gun was found near the remains but investigators don't yet know how the person died or came to be in this yard.
The body was discovered on June 8, but police believe the person died several months prior.
The body had already started to decompose, which made it difficult for investigators to narrow down identifying features of the person.
They believe the body is of a teen boy between the ages of 15 to 16 years old with brown hair and approximately 6’ tall.
“He was so decomposed that the only thing that was identifiable was a tattoo on one of the forearms of the individual," Santiago said. "That tattoo said, 'blessed,' and the way it was on that forearm, it was not only printed on the one side, but the mirror image was on the other side. So, it’s a very distinct looking tattoo.”
Glendale police recently shared a sketch of tattoos found on the body and what the boy possibly looked like before he died.
Police said the teen also had distinct dental work that included a bridge over his teeth.
People living in the neighborhood tell 12News they are in disbelief this would happen so close to home.
“That’s just creepy because I have lived in this neighborhood for close to 30 years and there has never been any trouble or any type of incidents like that before," Russell Cox, a neighbor, said.
Neighbors said they weren't aware of any strange noises or smells.
"Police asked if we ever smelled anything or we heard a gunshot," Joe Payton, another neighbor, said. "It's so quiet here. It's unbelievable."
Police are not actively seeking any suspects.
“Our goal is to try and identify this individual and get whatever family is associated with this person some type of closure," Santiago said.
Anyone with information on the remains is asked to call 623-930-3000.
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