Michelle Erica Beaudion was a free-spirited 16-year-old who hitchhiked almost 2,000 miles from her home in Vancouver, British Columbia, to Tucson in the summer of 1997.
The petite brown-haired teen arrived safely in early July and stayed with the man she called "grandpa" - her Canadian grandmother's former common-law-husband. She frequented a Peter Piper Pizza at West Limberlost and North Oracle roads, and a Jack in the Box at West River and North Oracle roads, and had planned to visit her stepmother, too. But before the reunion could take place, Beaudion disappeared.
She and her grandfather had an argument over a stray dog the teen brought home. Beaudion wanted the pup to stay. Her grandfather said it had to go. Beaudion left with the dog, but without her belongings. She was last heard from Aug. 9, 1997.
Her grandfather assumed Beaudion had returned to Canada, and the grandmother who raised her in Edmonton, Alberta, assumed she was still in Tucson. No one reported her missing.
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Hikers found her skeletal remains scattered across a remote embankment in Redington Pass near Tanque Verde Falls on March 8, 1998. The cause of death was at least two blows to the left side of her skull. Sheriff's investigators said Beaudion had been killed months earlier.
Because no identification was found with the remains, sheriff's investigators used the skull to recreate her facial structure. After running the photograph on television newscasts several times, Beaudion's stepmother recognized her and came forward.
STATUS
Almost 14 years after her disappearance, Beaudion's case is considered dormant, said Deputy Jason Ogan, spokesman for the Pima County Sheriff's Department. The case last was reviewed in 2006, but investigators have no suspects, no motive and no new evidence.
ABOUT THE SERIES
The Star will feature some of the Tucson-area violent crimes that remain unsolved - sometimes many years later.
Anyone with information is urged to call 88-CRIME. Tips also can be submitted at www.88crime.org; or by text message at 274637, then enter tip259 plus your text message.
Contact reporter Kimberly Matas at kmatas@azstarnet.com or at 573-4191 if you have been a victim of an unsolved crime or if you are related to a victim.
