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Cause of death identified for Mesa teens found dead in water basin

Police said the two teenagers had been reported as runaways from a local group home.

MESA, Ariz. — Two teenage girls were found dead in a water retention basin on Saturday, Jan. 21, the Mesa Police Department said. Tuesday, the Office of the Medical Examiner announced the cause of death of the girls.

Officers were dispatched to a basin near Higley Roady and Southern Avenue at about 6 p.m. Saturday. The officers reported finding the bodies of two teenage girls in the water.

The deceased girls have been identified as 17-year-old Sitlalli Avelar and 15-year-old Kamryn Meyers. 

According to the medical examiner, the deaths were both listed as accidents. For Avelar, the primary cause of death was "Drowning in the setting of Acute Alcohol Intoxication." Meyers' death was listed as “Drowning in the setting of Acute Alcohol Intoxication and Recent Marijuana Use.”

Police said that there was no indication of foul play.

Both were reported as runaways on Jan. 7 from a nearby group home in Mesa.

"We welcome any information that could be useful in piecing together what the girls did in days prior to the discovery of their bodies, but right now, there is nothing to say foul play was a factor," the Mesa Police Department said in a statement.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story stated the girls were found Sunday night. Police later corrected their statement, clarifying that they were actually found Saturday night.

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>> VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Dos adolescentes reportadas como desaparecidas fueron encontradas sin vida en un deposito de agua en Mesa

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