A California woman who disappeared last month after becoming stranded in the Arizona desert has been found dead.
Amanda Nenigar, 26, who went missing on February 28, was found naked under a tree outside Cibola, Arizona, on Friday, about 1.5 miles from where her abandoned car was discovered on March 7.
The cause of his death has not been released and La Paz County officials say they are working to conduct an autopsy to gather more information about his death.
It comes as a chilling 911 call revealed Nenigar’s confusion as he tried to explain his whereabouts to a 911 operator, hours before he disappeared.
Her family previously criticized officials’ search and claims she provided nearly exact coordinates of where her car was found, as her sister Marissa told her. KKTV last week: ‘They could have found her.’
Amanda Nenigar, 26, was reported missing on February 28 after becoming stranded in the Arizona desert.
On March 7, searchers found his vehicle abandoned in a remote area in Cibola, Arizona, about 20 miles from his home in Blythe, California. His belongings were not in the car.
Her sister Marissa (pictured) criticized the search, claiming they ruined the search for the missing 26-year-old because the dispatcher was confused by her location.
In 911 audio released last week, Nenigar was heard struggling to describe his surroundings to a dispatcher, saying, “Um, I’m not sure, I see a field.”
Nenigar’s family says the critical error that may have prevented searchers from finding her may have been the area her 911 call was directed to.
The 26-year-old called from a remote location in Arizona, however, the 911 call was directed to California dispatchers, which her family said contributed to the confusion over what she was describing.
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 looking for her. They could have found her.
Nenigar was heard on the call sounding confused and describing vague landmarks, when a dispatcher asked her, “What are you surrounded by?” Do you only see fields? Is that all you see?
“I’m kind of in a valley,” she replied.
‘Yes, there are many mountains… I climbed a very high mountain and I am dressed in pink.’
The 911 operator asked, “So you’re on Highway 78, do you think?” And what would be the closest street intersection?
“Um, I’m not sure, I see a field,” Nenigar said, as the dispatcher admitted he was struggling to get a navigation signal from his call.
“I’m trying to reach you, but I can’t,” he said.
The call was made on February 27 and Nenigar was reported missing by her family the next day after they could not locate her.
The 26-year-old woman called from a remote location in Arizona, however, the 911 call was routed to California dispatchers, which her family said contributed to the confusion over what she was describing.
On the call she was heard struggling to describe her surroundings to a dispatcher, saying, “Um, I’m not sure, I see a field.”
When the vehicle was discovered, its rear wheels were resting on a rock.
After weeks of searching for the missing woman, the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office found her vehicle in a remote desert area in Cibola, Arizona, with its rear wheels resting on a rock.
Her sister said at the time that the discovery left her family confused, since “she had never been to that part of the desert.”
“It’s not familiar to him to go to that area,” added his sister Merissa Nenigar.
He criticized authorities for what he considered a botched investigation, as the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office reportedly only learned of the 911 call once they became involved.
It’s unclear how much time passed between California investigators receiving the missing person tip and the Arizona sheriff’s office learning of the 911 call.
The sheriff’s office discovered that the California dispatcher was confused by the coordinates Nenigar gave over the phone.
Although he was heard on the 911 call asking 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 agents joined the search and heard the call, they were able to follow its coordinates to just over a mile from where the car was found.
Nenigar’s family said they were grateful for the searchers’ efforts, after previously criticizing how their 911 call was directed to someone who did not understand the layout of their
Following the tragic news of her discovery, Nenigar’s family said they were devastated by the discovery but were grateful for the efforts of the searchers.
“We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped in the search for Amanda Nenigar,” the statement said.
‘The family is incredibly grateful to have people like each of you who have volunteered and dedicated their time and resources to finding her.
‘It is with a heavy heart that we must inform all of you that she was found dead last night… We have many questions and have been informed that her death is being investigated and an autopsy will be performed.
‘Our hearts are broken and we will miss her dearly. Please allow 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 was growing increasingly concerned because it wasn’t like her to disappear off the map so suddenly.
‘Your phone goes straight to voicemail. Different people have tried to call her because maybe, I don’t know, she wanted to disappear and blocked everyone, but no, that’s not the case. “Her phone goes straight to voicemail,” Marissa added.
‘It’s been so many days like, what if she’s dead somewhere? Or what if she is being a victim of human trafficking? 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.