Safford – A person has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a teenage girl whose body was found southeast of Safford in 2020.

On October 26, 2020, hunters found the body near a corral along Artesia Road, about eight miles east of US Highway 191. The Graham County Sheriff’s Office recovered the plastic wrapped body. An autopsy by the Pima Medical Examiner ruled the case to be a homicide and the victim was believed to be between 13 and 15 years old. In a press release last Wednesday, Sheriff officials said she had finally tested positive. Her name was withheld due to her age.

On September 1, 2022, the Graham County Attorney’s Office filed a first-degree murder charge against Amber R. Langley, 38, for alleged involvement in the death of a young girl. Langley was arrested on August 24, 2022 on charges of fraudulent schemes and schemes and theft in connection with the incident. Her arrest followed the execution of two search warrants for her that day by the FBI, Safford and Thatcher Police Department, and the Sheriff’s Office assisted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Sheriff officials said items collected in connection with the warrant will be further analyzed at a forensic facility, and elements of the investigation continue to be ongoing.