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APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz. — Skeletal remains found in this area might be those of a 19-year-old college student missing since June 15, authorities said Thursday.
Adrienne Salinas, the 19-year-old college student who has been missing from Tempe since June 15, authorities announced early Thursday morning.
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Tempe, Ariz., police are working with Apache Junction police and the FBI to search an area where a property owner found the remains Aug. 6. Several homes are near where the body was found.
Apache Junction officers did an initial investigation but called Tempe police the following day because the remains, which were badly decomposed, were similar in size and stature to GateWay Community College student Adrienne Salinas.
"We don't know where the body came from," said Sgt. Mike Pooley, a spokesman for the Tempe Police Department. The area had significant flooding July 21.
More than 100 people, including volunteers, are searching a wide area, concentrating on 6 miles of a wash and private property around the streambed that is dry except after heavy rains. Apache Junction with a population of almost 37,000 is about 30 miles east of Phoenix and 20 miles east of Tempe.
Salinas' family was informed last week about the discovery, but police didn't release any information because of concerns about evidence.
The remains were sent to the Pima County medical examiner. Checking the DNA will take about a week, according to authorities.
Salinas attended a party in Tempe with her boyfriend the night of June 14 and had been drinking. She and her boyfriend got into an argument at the party. The boyfriend drove her to his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., but they continued to argue, so he drove her home.
The last time anyone reported seeing Salinas was early the morning of June 15. Her roommates told police that she had packed an overnight bag and said she was driving back to her boyfriend's home.
But the boyfriend told police that Salinas never arrived. A witness reported seeing her car hit a median near her apartment. Rick Salinas, Adrienne's father, found the car two blocks away with two flat tires and reported his daughter missing to police.
Later the morning of June 15, Adrienne Salinas repeatedly called the boyfriend but was unable to reach him. She eventually sent him a text message at 4:43 a.m., saying, "I'm coming over."
The boyfriend told police that Adrienne Salinas never arrived. Tempe police have said the boyfriend is not considered a suspect and has been very cooperative in the investigation.
No one has seen or heard from her since 5:05 a.m. June 15 when she called a cab. A cab driver was unable to find her, and her cell phone turned off at 5:07 a.m.
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