Colorado teen whose severed head and hands were found in hoarder’s freezer is identified after going missing in 2005
The severed head and hands of a 16-year-old Colorado girl found in a freezer have now been identified following a months-long investigation, DailyMail.com can reveal.
On January 12 this year, a family was cleaning out the Grand Junction, Colorado home that previously belonged to the girl’s family when they said they found the gruesome remains in a chest freezer left behind by the previous owners.
Ten months later, the Mesa County Coroner announced that they had finally identified the body parts as belonging to Amanda Overstreet, who was “last known to be alive in April 2005.”
Mesa County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Wendy Likes told DailyMail.com that Amanda was the biological daughter of widowed homeowner Leanne, 55 – and Leanne’s late husband Bradley was Amanda’s stepfather.
Likes declined to comment on whether the biological father had been identified or interviewed by police.
The 16-year-old Colorado girl whose body parts were found in a freezer has now been identified as Amanda Overstreet, DailyMail.com can reveal. Investigators in hazmat suits were seen by neighbors on the Grand Junction property
Amanda was the biological daughter of widowed homeowner Leanne, now 55 years old and seen in an earlier photo. No arrests have been made in the murder investigation and Leanne remains a resident of Grand Junction
Amanda’s stepfather, Bradley Imer, died aged 61 from cardiac arrest after a severe case of Covid-19
The house had recently changed hands and was being cleared out in an attempt to get rid of the clutter
The spokeswoman said Amanda was 16 when she was last seen in 2005.
Likes said no arrests have been made in the murder investigation, and Leanne remains a resident of Grand Junction, Colorado.
“The remainder of her body has not been recovered at this time,” the coroner’s office said. “The manner of death is being investigated as a homicide. The matter remains an active investigation and no further details will be released at this time.”
According to local reports, Bradley died of cardiac arrest on July 7, 2021 at the age of 61 after developing a severe case of Covid-19.
The next day, Leanne posted on Facebook a fundraiser for his funeral and hospital bills. The couple had two children of their own, Elsie Belle and Anthony Imer.
“Bradley D. Imer contracted Covid last month and was admitted to the ICU on June 27. He died on July 7. Our family is trying to raise money to pay for his funeral and medical expenses,” she wrote.
“We had a flood in our home a few months ago and have been living in a hotel since May 3 while we tried to work with our homeowner’s insurance and contractors to complete the repairs.
“Our daughter is starting her senior year in a few weeks and her father’s passing has just devastated her, they were best friends.
“Bradley had many friends and family that he touched during his life. Bradley was loved and respected by many. He lived his life to the fullest, without regrets. Bradley gave him the shirt off his back and no one left our house without a meal and good conversation.
“Bradley was (still is) the love of my life, my best friend, the best father, an amazing husband and the best man I will ever know. I just don’t know what we’re going to do without him. Bradley was our rock and the heart and soul of our family. No one will ever live up to his memory, because he was simply a great man, loved by all who knew him.”
She added that she and her son Anthony would “stay in the camper in the front yard until the repairs are done.” [to their flooded house] have been made.’
Neighbors said they had seen a young man living with Leanne and described them as ‘hoarders’.
One resident wrote anonymously on a blog: ‘Does anyone know anything about a daughter who lived in that house? We live around the corner and often saw her in the neighborhood, but haven’t seen her in years.’
Leanne and Anthony would stay in the camper in the front yard until the repairs [to their flooded house] have been made.’
The Imer’s two children are Elsie Belle Imer, 21 years old, and her older brother Anthony Imer
Sam Troester, who lives across the street, said she noticed something strange when people in hazmat suits came to the house
Troester said she became aware of what was happening when people planning to buy the freezer opened it and found a human head
Sam Troester, who lives across the street, said she noticed something strange when people in hazmat suits came to the house.
Troester said she learned what happened when the people who wanted to buy the freezer came to her door and asked if they could use her restroom.
“I let them in and cautiously I thought, ‘What’s going on?’ she told 9 News.
“And they kept telling me that they opened the freezer to empty it so they could transport it, and they said a head fell out. A human head!’
Sheriffs later confirmed that human hands were also found in the freezer.
“A thorough and detailed investigation is the highest priority,” the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a news release at the time.
“Our hope is to positively identify the victim while continuing to maintain respect for the victim and the victim’s family.”
They added: ‘These types of tests take a significant amount of time.’