A California woman who disappeared last month after being stranded in the Arizona desert has been found dead.
Amanda Nenigar, 26, who disappeared on February 28, was found naked under a tree just outside Cibola, Arizona, about 1.5 miles from where her car was found on March 7.
Her cause of death has not been released and La Paz County officials say they are conducting an autopsy to gather more information about her death.
It comes as a chilling 911 call revealed Nenigar’s confusion as she tried to explain her whereabouts to a 911 operator hours before she disappeared.
Her family previously criticized the search by officials, claiming she provided near-exact coordinates of where her car was found, as her sister Marissa related KTV last week: ‘They could have found her.’
Amanda Nenigar, 26, was reported missing on February 28 after being stranded in the Arizona desert
On March 7, searchers found her vehicle abandoned in a remote area in Cibola, Arizona, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from her home in Blythe, California. Her belongings were not in the car
Her sister Marissa (pictured) denounced the search, claiming they bungled the search for the missing 26-year-old as the dispatcher was confused by her location
In the 911 audio released last week, Nenigar was heard struggling to describe her surroundings to a dispatcher, saying, “Um, I’m not sure, I see a field.”
Nenigar’s family says the crucial error that prevented searchers from finding her may have been the area to which her 911 call was directed.
The 26-year-old called from a remote location in Arizona, but the 911 call was routed to California dispatchers, which her family said contributed to the confusion about what she described.
Marissa said, “I don’t know why they didn’t transfer her to Arizona. She gave them her exact location and someone could have gone to get her. They could have found her.’
Nenigar was heard sounding confused on the call and describing vague landmarks as a dispatcher asked her, “What are you surrounded by?” Do you only see fields? Is that all you see?’
“I’m in a bit of a valley,” she replied.
“Yes, there are just a lot of mountains… I climbed to love a high mountain and I wear pink.”
The 911 operator asked her, “So you’re on Highway 78, you think?” And what are the nearest side streets?’
“Um, I’m not sure, I see a field,” Nenigar said, as the dispatcher admitted he had trouble getting a navigation signal from her call.
“I’m trying to get your location, but I can’t get one,” he said.
The call was made on February 27 and Nenigar was reported missing by her family the next day after they were unable to get hold of her.
The 26-year-old called from the remote Arizona location, but the 911 call was routed to California dispatchers, which her family said contributed to the confusion about what she described.
She was heard on the call struggling to describe her surroundings to a dispatcher and saying, “Um, I’m not sure, I see a field.”
When the vehicle was discovered, the rear wheels were resting on a boulder
After weeks of searching for the missing woman, her vehicle was found by the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office in a remote desert area in Cibola, Arizona – with its rear wheels resting on a boulder.
Her sister said at the time that the discovery confused her family because “she’s never been to that part of the desert.”
“It’s not a familiar area for her to go to,” Sister Merissa Nenigar added.
She criticized authorities for what she perceived as a botched investigation, with the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office reportedly not being made aware of the 911 call until they became involved.
It is not clear how much time passed between California investigators receiving the missing person tip and the Arizona sheriff’s office being notified of the 911 call.
The sheriff’s office discovered that the California dispatcher was confused by the coordinates Nenigar gave over the phone.
Despite being asked during the 911 call to Nenigar if she was on Highway 78, he reportedly sent police to look for her along Highway 95, about 40 miles from where the car was found.
Once Arizona officers joined the search and listened to the call, they were able to track her coordinates to just over a mile from where the car was found.
Nenigar’s family said they are grateful for searchers’ efforts, after previously criticizing the way her 911 call was directed to someone who did not understand the layout of her home.
Following the tragic news of her discovery, Nenigar’s family said they were devastated by the discovery but grateful for the efforts of searchers.
“We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who assisted in the search for Amanda Nenigar,” the statement said.
“The family is incredibly grateful that people like you all volunteered and dedicated their time and resources to finding her.
‘It is with heavy hearts that we must inform you all that she was found deceased last night… We have many questions and have been informed that her death is under investigation and an autopsy will follow.
‘Our hearts are broken and we will miss her very much. Please grant our family privacy as we mourn the loss of Amanda and prepare for the days ahead.”
Before she was found dead, Marissa said her family became increasingly concerned because it was not like her to disappear from the map so suddenly.
“Her phone goes straight to voicemail. Several people have tried to call her because maybe, I don’t know, she wanted to disappear and block everyone, but no, that’s not the case. Her phone goes straight to voicemail,” Marissa added.
‘It’s been so many days of: what if she’s dead somewhere? Or what if she’s being trafficked? What if someone kidnapped her? I have no idea. Nobody knows.
‘We just want to know if she’s okay. We want her to come home.”
