A 13-year-old Tucson girl found dead in the desert last June was killed, according to the medical examiner’s office, however the cause of her death was not revealed.
The autopsy report, released Friday, lists the manner of Maribel Victoria Gonzales’ death as homicide, however the cause of her death was redacted, as was much of the report.
Pima County Sheriff’s Department detectives redacted the information “because the case is still active and release of that information could be harmful to the investigation,” said Deputy Tracy Suitt, a spokesman for the department.
Gonzales’ body was found June 6 in the desert northwest of Tucson, on the east side of Trico Road, about a half-mile south of Avra Valley Road, after a deputy responded to a call about suspicious activity in the area.
She was last seen at about 8 p.m., June 3, when she told her mother she was going to a friend's house. When Gonzales did not return by morning, her mother called the friend and learned she never arrived.
Because of decomposition, the medical examiner’s office had to wait for the results of DNA tests before Gonzales could be positively identified.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information should call 911 or 88-CRIME.
