Missing woman who called 911 for help over a month ago found dead in remote area near Arizona-California border

A woman reported missing by her family more than a month ago has been found dead near the Arizona-California border, authorities said. Amanda Nenigar, 26, called 911 the day before she was reported missing because her car was stuck off the highway but officials were not able to locate her.

La Paz County Sheriff's officials said Nenigar's body was located Friday night in a remote area south of the small Arizona town of Cibola.

"We ask that you please respect the family during this time and avoid spreading rumors and assumptions," the sheriff's office said.

They said the woman's nude body was found under a tree about 1 ½ miles away from her abandoned car.

County Sheriff William Ponce told CBS affiliate station KPHO that Nenigar was identified by a rose tattoo on her right hand.

Because her clothes were found not too far from her body, investigators believe she may have been trying to cool off and it's possible she died from exposure, Ponce told KPHO-TV. 

The sheriff's office said Saturday that the investigation is ongoing and a pending autopsy will determine Nenigar's cause of death.

Ponce told KPHO-TV the body's state of decomposition suggests Nenigar may have been dead for quite some time.

"Time is critical for us trying to find someone alive. Unfortunately, this is how we ended up in this situation. We're trying to back track on information that wasn't coming fast enough," Ponce told the station. "Had we gotten that much sooner, I think we could've located her alive."

Nenigar was last seen alive on Feb. 28 near Blythe, California, and authorities said her car reportedly was located more than a week later with the back of the vehicle on a large boulder.

Authorities said Nenigar lived near Blythe but frequently drove to La Paz County where her other family members live.

KPHO previously reported Nenigar called 911 the day before she was reported missing and asked for help after her car got stuck in a ditch off the highway. She gave coordinates for where she was — but the call went to California dispatchers, not Arizona, and they were unable to get a location on her.

"I'm like kind of in a valley," Nenigar said at one point. "Yeah there's just a lot of mountains … But I climbed to like a high mountain and I'm wearing pink," Nenigar said on the call.

"OK, so you're on Highway 78, you think? And what would be the nearest cross streets?" the dispatcher asked.

"Um, I'm not sure. I see a field," she replied.

"I'm trying to get a location on you but I'm not getting one," the dispatcher said.

Nenigar was reported missing the next day, on Feb. 28, by her family.

"She gave them her coordinates, California, and I don't know why they didn't transfer her to dispatch in Arizona," her sister Marissa Nenigar said after the 911 call was released. "She gave them her exact location and someone could have went and got her. They could have found her."

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• Arizona
• Missing Woman