In July 2023, Emily Pike reported she was sexually assaulted while living on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in eastern Arizona, according to relatives and law enforcement sources.
The ABC15 investigators are looking into the criminal investigation, which occurred 18 months before Emily's disappearance and murder.
Federal law enforcement agents say the 2023 sex crime case got a "full investigation," but federal prosecutors say the case files were never submitted for a charging decision.
For weeks, Emily's family members have questioned why the alleged perpetrator was never charged.
"If there was a breakdown, then why?" said Allred Pike, Emily's uncle,in an interview with ABC15 earlier this month.
Emily, who was 13 at the time of the alleged sexual assault, was removed from her home by San Carlos Tribal Social Services.
In January 2025, she ran away from a group foster home in Mesa, and her body was found about two weeks later near Globe. The Gila County Sheriff's Office is investigating the murder.
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As for the 2023 sexual assault case, Allred said that Emily's allegations were initially investigated by tribal Game and Fish officers.
On Wednesday, the ABC15 Investigators learned tribal law enforcement agents also referred the case to Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement officers who completed a "full investigation" of Emily's sexual assault case, according to a BIA spokesperson.
"BIA agents conducted a full investigation, including arranging a specialized child forensic interview at a child advocacy center and coordinating with other agencies, including federal and tribal prosecutors and tribal social services," BIA's spokesperson wrote in an email to ABC15.
A relative told ABC15 this was the second time that Emily had been a victim in a sexual assault case. The BIA spokesperson confirmed Wednesday, "A separate incident involving the same juvenile was investigated by the FBI." ABC15 is still trying to get additional details about the time, location, and suspect from that case.
Based on agreements with tribes in Arizona, the FBI investigates sex crimes against children ages 12 and under. The BIA has jurisdiction over all other sex assault cases, including those involving older children.
Once a criminal investigation is completed, tribal prosecutors would handle charging decisions for misdemeanor cases, and the U.S. Attorney would make charging decisions for alleged felonies, including sex crimes, occurring on tribal lands.
However, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix told ABC15 the July 2023 case on the San Carlos reservation was never "submitted to our office for review." No criminal charges were ever filed.
The ABC15 Investigators are following up for more details on the "coordination" between law enforcement agents and prosecutors to learn the outcome of the investigation.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe is offering a $75,000 reward to help find the person who killed Emily Pike. If you have any information, you can call the Gila County Sheriff's Office or leave an online tip here.
