SAFFORD – Charges of first-degree murder have been filed in the death of a teenage girl whose body was found southeast of Safford in 2020.

On Oct. 26, 2020 hunters discovered the body near a corral approximately eight miles east of US Highway 191, along the Artesia Road alignment. The Graham County Sheriff’s Office recovered the body, which was wrapped in a plastic tarp. An autopsy by the Pima Medical Examiner ruled the incident a homicide, with the victim believed to be between 13-15 years old. In a press release last Wednesday, Sheriff’s officials said she was eventually positively identified; her name was withheld due to her age.

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

Sheriff’s officials said that items collected in connection with the warrants would be further analyzed at forensic facilities, and elements of the investigation remain ongoing.