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Skeletal remains found in a wash in Apache Junction may belong to 19-year-old Adrienne Salinas, a Tempe resident who’s been missing since June, police say.
Although Tempe Police Sergeant Michael Pooley says the remains were found August 6, members of several police agencies and the FBI currently are out there looking for more evidence.
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The last time anyone heard from Salinas was in the early-morning hours of June 15.
Salinas, a student at Gateway Community College, was headed to her boyfriend’s house that morning. They had been arguing earlier that night after they were together at a party, and it appears that Salinas never made it to her boyfriend’s house.
Police have said that the two people she was supposed to see that morning — the boyfriend and a cab driver she called — aren’t suspects. Salinas apparently started driving to her boyfriend’s house but hit a median and blew out her tires, a witness told police. She called the cab at that point, but the driver never found her, and her cellphone was shut off.
Tempe police say no formal identification has been made on the skeletal remains — which were found near Highway 88 and Lost Dutchman Boulevard — but there are similarities to Salinas.
Police are still looking for leads in the case, as there aren’t any suspects at the moment.
UDPATE 5:56 p.m.: Police say it’s been confirmed that the remains are Salinas.
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Follow Matthew Hendley on Twitter at @MatthewHendley.
