A Nebraska teenager who was in Arizona celebrating his high school graduation was found dead in a desert bonfire pile – a “malicious” deat...
A Nebraska teenager who was in Arizona celebrating his high school graduation was found dead in a desert bonfire pile – a “malicious” death, according to authorities.
Parker League, 18, was found dead on June 12 in Bulldog Canyon, part of Arizona’s Tonto National Forest. He was found on the same day he was scheduled to return home, ABC15 reported.
“It’s hard to accept because he was the nicest kid in the world,” League’s brother, Hunter, told the outlet. “I got a call from my dad telling me to come home. I asked him ‘why’ about three times and the third time he tried to explain it, he just started breaking down.”
Hunter told the outlet that League was two years younger but considered his brother his best friend. He said League had traveled to Tempe, Arizona, to visit friends.
“I knew he had a place to stay; I knew he got there. We texted … that’s about it,” Hunter told the outlet.
League flew to Arizona on June 9. His last text to his brother was on June 10.
The teen’s family told ABC15 that they were not immediately informed that League’s body had been found, so they filed a missing persons report with the Tempe Police Department on June 15, three days after League’s flight had landed without him on board.
Hunter also told the outlet that his brother may have been targeted for his expensive watch. The family said they found two unusual transactions from League’s bank account.
“We basically found out that someone was using his debit card to get food and tried to pay their electric bill with it,” Hunter told the outlet.
Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) told the outlet that law enforcement would increase patrols of the area where League’s body was found.
“I hate to hone in on this specific issue but, I mean, we’re dealing with homelessness. We’re dealing with just a remote area; we’re dealing with areas that can only be accessed by 4×4 vehicles,” he said.
Enriquez told 12News that he couldn’t release additional details about the crime.
“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,” he said. “Only certain people know details of that crime, so they can’t be released to protect the integrity of investigation.”
MCSO described League’s death as “malicious” in a statement to 12News.
No arrests have been made so far in the case.
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