TUCSON, Ariz. - Tucson Chief of Police Chris Magnus said human remains found in a remote part of Pima County belong to Isabel Celis, a girl who went missing in 2012 at the age of 6.
"The death of a child is a loss to the family and the entire community," said Police Chief Chris Magnus.
Police say they have investigated more than 2,200 leads since the girl's disappearance almost five years ago. The investigation remains active as police search for a suspect.
Magnus said that police could not share specific details about the location or time the remains were found because the investigation is ongoing. He did say that the discovery of the remains was "not happenstance," but declined to go into further detail.
"This is a very important step in the case," he said.
However, he went on to add that this is not the end of the investigation.
Celis disappeared on April 20, 2012, after she went to bed at her family’s home near Broadway Boulevard and Craycroft Road. She was reported missing by her father, Sergio Celis, the next morning.
Despite extensive searches by law enforcement, private investigators, family, and friends, all leads turned up cold.
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