Washington
Pike family invited to Washington, D.C. for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person's Awareness Day
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of Emily Pike’s family were invited to Washington, D.C., on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person’s (MMIP) Day.
It’s been over three months since the 14-year-old San Carlos Apache teen was reported missing from her Mesa group home. Weeks later, on Valentine’s Day the teen was found murdered off the U.S. 60 northeast of Globe.
Emily’s uncle and aunt, Allred Pike Jr. and Carolyn Pike-Bender, were part of the group invited to sit down with multiple leaders in D.C. Pike-Bender said everywhere she went, her goal was to share her niece’s story.
“Whether it’s the person that is pushing the suitcase, or cab driver, or somebody sitting next to me on the plane, or the airline person behind the counter, it’s just like I’m here for my niece Emily,” said Pike-Bender. “I’m here to tell her story and spread the word. Because Emily put a light on a lot of people’s cases.”
She described Monday as an emotional day, taking poster boards with Emily’s picture to national monuments and meetings.
The Pike family shared pictures from those meetings with leaders like FBI Director Kash Patel and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.
“The FBI Director was very attentive,” said Allred. “He listened to us tell Emily’s story. The Secretary of Interior, Burgum, was somewhat aware of Emily’s case and the MMIW issues. “So, he was very supportive in trying to make things easier for Indian Country and helping solve these cases and make sure that this doesn’t happen again.”
In April, the U.S. Justice Department announced they were boosting FBI assets at its field offices to investigate major crimes on tribal lands. The name of the push, Operation Not Forgotten.
Patel posted on social media Monday, mentioning Operation Not Forgotten and his meeting with the Pike family.
“We told them that we were grateful for any and everything that they’ve done, and we just don’t want this to happen again to anyone,” said Allred. “And any help that they can give would be very good for us, because in this case, we just don’t want it to fall to the wayside and never catch the person who took my niece’s life.”
Pike-Bender said they walked away from their first day in Washington, D.C., feeling hopeful.
“It felt really good walking away from it,” said Bender-Pike. “Because we feel like something is going to happen, something’s going to get done.”
Emily’s family has called the teen a light and a symbol. They told ABC15 they are sharing her story with the hope it will bring justice and attention to other cases as well.
“It’s not right, you know, the way she was taken from us,” said Pike-Bender. “But her name, and her story, herself; it’s like she matters. And everyone else that is missing, or just a loved one, they matter as well. And it’s like we’re her voice. And we’re not going to be silent. We’re just going to get loud. And we’re going to get loud for her and for everyone out there.”
On Monday, ABC15 reached out to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office for an update on Emily’s case. GCSO has not yet responded.
“We are continuing to pursue leads as they come in, and there is information that is being processed that I’m not a liberty to release,” said Lt. James Lahti in an email to ABC15 last week.
GCSO, at last check, said they still don’t have a “primary suspect or investigative lead”.
The ABC15 Investigators have also continued to look into two sexual assault allegations reported by Emily in the months before she was placed into foster care.
There is a $75,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in Emily’s murder case.
WASHINGTON – Coming up this month, spring’s most colorful new event: Tulip Day Washington.
What we know:
On March 15, 2026, Tulip Day Washington will transform DC’s National Mall into a vibrant tulip-picking garden beautiful views of U.S. Capitol
This one-day event will take place from 11:15 AM – 4:15 PM, offering a floral showcase of approximately 150,000 tulips; visitors are invited to pick their choice of 10 tulips for free upon arrival.
Dig deeper:
The registration site for Tulip Day is currently down, showing users “This site is currently unavailable. If you’re the owner of this website, please contact your hosting provider to get this resolved.”
Users on social media say the event may be sold out.
Check tulipday.eu for updates.
The backstory:
The event is organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands and Royal Anthos, a Dutch trade association, in honor of America’s 250th birthday. The display of tulips will be in the shape of the number 250.
The bulbs come from the Netherlands, but are being grown in Virginia and New Jersey.
These won’t be the first tulips on the National Mall, however. The Floral Library, also known as the Tulip Library, features 93 beds of flowers near the Tidal Basin. The Floral Library was established in 1969, and is maintained by the National Park Services. These flowers, though, are to be enjoyed only – not to be picked.
The562’s coverage of Dirtbags Baseball for the 2026 season is sponsored by P2S, Inc. Visit p2sinc.com to learn more.
Long Beach State dropped a 9-7 decision against Washington State on Sunday afternoon, closing out a busy weekend on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.
The visiting Cougars took the lead for good in the eighth inning when Long Beach Poly grad Ryan Skjonsby delivered a game-winning two-run single with two outs and the bases loaded. Skjonsby was 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and three RBIs for Washington State in their road victory.
For the Dirtbags, catcher Damon Valdez scored twice and had a key two-run single in the sixth to help lead a Long Beach comeback. Trevor Goldenetz had a pair of hits at the top of the order, including an RBI triple. Camden Gasser walked twice and singled, improving his on-base percentage to .574 on the season.
Long Beach State (4-7) will be back in action at home on Tuesday with an exhibition match against Waseda University from Japan. The Dirtbags will then visit San Diego State on Wednesday and open Big West play at UC Santa Barbara this weekend.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – Operation “Epic Fury” — the weekend military operations carried out by the U.S. and Israel against targets in Iran — tops the agenda for Congress as lawmakers return to Washington.
Sunday, President Donald Trump said the new leadership in Iran wants to talk to the Trump Administration.
Democrats in both chambers called for Congress to return as soon as possible for classified briefings on Iran, followed by a move to vote on the War Powers Act. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war on another country.
Congress’ return to Washington was originally delayed due to the start of the 2026 midterm elections cycle.
Tuesday, voters in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas head to the polls for primary elections.
North Carolina and Texas are drawing significant attention, as both states are facing congressional redistricting and competitive primary races for Senate seats.
In Texas, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) is facing primary challenges from state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt. On the Democratic side, Rep. Jasmine Crockett is facing state Rep. James Talarico.
In North Carolina, candidates are vying to replacing retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R) . They include former Governor Roy Cooper (D) and former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley.
Also this week, the Rev. Jesse Jackson is laid to rest. He will be honored Wednesday in Washington before a final memorial service Saturday. Jackson died Feb. 17.
Copyright 2026 Gray DC. All rights reserved.
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