By Madeline Bates
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In January 2025, Emily Pike went missing from a group home and was later found murdered along Highway 60 near Mesa. This led to an FBI Investigation with three suspects in custody and current litigation on her case.

Olivia Lemorrocco, Vice President of Operations at Phillips Law Group, says that the Turquoise Alert has proven to help find missing persons within the state.

In 2025 Arizona had over 1000 missing persons cases according to the World Population Review, but was able to solve over 1500 of cases in the year with a combined investigative and community support.

In 2003, Amber Alert was presented to the nation after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman from Texas was abducted while riding her bike and found murdered days later. Months later, President George W. Bush signed the PROTECT ACT, a bill that gave every state the necessary tools for emergencies when an Amber Alert is deemed necessary. By 2005, all 50 states and Washington D.C. had adopted the tool and used it in abduction cases.

Lemorrocco says that the Turquoise Alert was designed to fill in the gaps where an Amber Alert can’t work.

“She (Emily) could absolutely still be here,” Lemorrocco said about the alerts.

Gov. Katie Hobbs announced in July that the Turquoise Alert would become available to the Arizona Department of Public Safety and have set criteria for use.

To submit a Turquoise Alert, the victim must be younger than 65 years old and must be determined that they were not a runaway. As Emily had previous cases of running away from her group home, she did not qualify for an Amber Alert at the time.

The bill named Emily’s Law, or HB 2281 in the Arizona state Legislature, originally stated that the missing person had to be of a state of federally recognized tribe. Pike was part of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and had to be a person between the ages of 18 and 65.

The bill was later modified to include all missing people at risk of being harmed, regardless of tribal status and under the age of 65.

“With this alert, we are making sure our law enforcement officers and the public can respond quickly when it matters most. This tool is a meaningful step to improve the safety and well-being of communities across Arizona,” Gov. Hobbs said in a statement when the alert was released.

If AzDPS identifies the location of a missing person, the alert can be sent only to phones in that location.

“We need all eyes open during an alert,” Lemorrocco said.

She explained that while all alerts are essential, Amber and Turquoise Alerts specifically refer to someone trying to harm someone else and need public intervention.

On Dec. 17, AzDPS issued a Turquoise Alert for a 17-year-old Yuma girl named Maria Acedo, who has been missing since Dec. 2. Maria has no cell phone and is still missing, according to Arizona officials. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Yuma Police or AzDPS.

To learn more about how Turquoise Alerts are used visit Turquoise Alert | Department of Public Safety.

Madeline Bates
Reporter | Tempe/East Phoenix

mbates@iniusa.org

Meet Madeline

Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).  

Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.

Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.

Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.

Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.