(NewsNation) — The naked body of a California woman who had been missing for more than a month was found in a southwest Arizona desert after her 911 call was dispatched to the wrong state.
Amanda Nenigar, 26, was last seen alive on Feb. 28 in Blythe, Calif., which is located near the Arizona border, according to KTVK-TV. She was found dead Friday around 7:30 p.m. outside of Cibola, Arizona.
Police said a search and rescue expert spotted Nenigar’s body nude under a tree about 1.5 miles from where her car was abandoned. Her car was found abandoned about three weeks earlier, KTVK reports.
Sheriff William Ponce told KTVK the woman’s clothes were found nearby, and she was identified by a rose tattoo on her right hand. Additionally, he said the body’s state of decomposition suggests it may have been dead for some time.
According to KTVK, investigators believe Nenigar may have been trying to cool off by removing her clothes and finding shade under the tree before possibly dying of exposure.
“Our hearts are broken and we will miss her dearly. Please grant our family privacy as we mourn the loss of Amanda and prepare for the days ahead of us,” Nenigar’s family said in a statement obtained by KTVK.
According to KTVK, Nenigar called 911 requesting help out of a ditch; however, her call was dispatched to California, not Arizona. The next day, Feb 28, she was reported missing.
On March 7, the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office found Nenigar’s car abandoned in a remote desert area near Cibola, according to KTVK.
According to KTVK, the California dispatcher allegedly confused Nenigar’s descriptions and officials looked for her along Highway 95, about 30-40 miles away. However, when Arizona deputies heard the 911 call, they followed Nenigar’s descriptions and ended up about a mile and a half from where her car was found.