The Disappearances & Deaths of Sitlalli Avelar & Kamryn Meyers

On the evening of January 21st, 2023, authorities in Mesa, Arizona received a call about an unusual object floating in a water retention basin near Southern Avenue and Superstition Springs Boulevard. A man walking his dog near the basin had spotted what he thought was a mannequin in the water. When police arrived, they determined that the man had actually spotted the body of a young female. While investigating the scene, police found the body of another young female just 10 feet away. 

Days later, the bodies were identified as Sitlalli Avelar (17) and Kamryn Meyers (15) - two teens who had vanished earlier that month. Sitlalli and Kamryn were both staying at a group home in Mesa run by Powerhouse Youth Facility Inc. They reportedly ran away from the facility together on January 7th, 2023. The group home's staff members reported Sitlalli and Kamryn missing that same day.

According to reports, both Sitlalli and Kamryn had a history of running away. The staff at their group home heard that the two girls had been hatching a plan to leave, and procedures were followed to encourage them to stay. Arizona law prohibits state-licensed group homes from forcing children to remain there, so the staff members were limited in what they could do to prevent Sitlalli and Kamryn from leaving.

When it was discovered that the girls had followed through on their plan to run away, the staff members immediately followed the proper protocols with both police and the Department of Child Services. Hope was held out that Sitlalli and Kamryn would resurface, but nobody had seen or heard from either of them since they left the group home. One of Kamryn's friends reported that she had been inactive in their group chat, which was unusual. Both girls had also been inactive on social media. 

The whereabouts of the girls remained unknown for 14 days until their bodies were found on January 21st. The medical examiner's office took months to determine their exact causes of death. Police initially suspected foul play was involved. However, no suspects or persons of interest were publicly announced.

In March 2023, it was announced that the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the deaths of Sitlalli and Kamryn as accidental. The Medical Examiner's Office specifically stated that their causes of death were "drowning in the setting of acute alcohol intoxication." 

However, in that same report, it was stated that investigators were still unsure how, exactly, the girls ended up in the water basin or where the girls went after they first were reported missing. At the time of this reporting, police were still investigating. It's unclear if any new information has been uncovered since then.

If you have any information regarding the deaths of Sitlalli and Kamryn, please contact investigators at 480-644-2211.

Sources:
12 News
ABC 15, 
Oxygen
People
WAFB 9