A town is in mourning after the body of six-year-old Isabel Celis was found in a rural desert area in Pima County. No indication has been given as yet as to whether foul play is suspected. The Arizona girl disappeared from her bedroom in Tucson almost five years ago, on April 21, 2012. Searches were made for years to try and find the young girl and the police received over 2,200 leads, without success.
Isabel’s remains were not found by chance
Tucson police chief Chris Magnus gave no indication on Friday as to how long Isabel’s remains may have been lying there or the cause of her death.
Police did say they found her remains a month ago and did positively ID the young girl from her DNA. While the circumstances surrounding the discovery of Isabel’s remains are still a mystery, Magnus did tell reporters that the finding was reportedly “not by happenstance.” Magnus told a news conference this was obviously not the ending they had hoped for and that it is also not the end of the case. He went on to say they are working the case “aggressively,” as they would with any case involving the death of a child.
My heart breaks for family of Isabel Celis, missing since April 2012. Today police announce they found her remains. pic.twitter.com/sUgP3ZTbCl
— Simone Del Rosario (@SimoneReports) March 31, 2017
As reported by the New York Daily News, while Tucson police have at no stage named suspects in the Arizona girl’s disappearance, they did, in the early stages of the investigation, state they found “suspicious circumstances” surrounding an entry point into Isabel’s home.
Magnus closed the news conference by stressing he believes someone might know something about Isabel’s disappearance and what happened to her. He went on to urge anyone with any relevant information to contact the police or send in an anonymous tip.
On my way to a news conference to learn about a major development in the case of Isabel Celis. She disappeared almost 5yrs ago #News4Tucson pic.twitter.com/lQlVO2TiQu
— Kristi Tedesco (@kristitedesco) March 31, 2017
A town in mourning over dead Arizona girl
Tucson.com quoted Magnus as offering the Tucson police department’s “deepest sympathies” to Isabel’s family, saying the death of any child is not only a loss to the family, but to the entire community.
Bishop Gerald Kicanas of the Tucson Roman Catholic Diocese issued a statement Friday evening to say their “hearts are broken” and that their prayers are going out to Isabel’s family in this sad time. Kicanas said his fondest hope was that Isabel was still alive and would be returned to her family and he hopes whoever committed the crime will be brought to justice.
