Mystery surrounds death of 14-year-old girl found in Texas landfill

— -- The death of a 14-year-old girl is shrouded in mystery after her body was found in a landfill in northern Texas this week.

Kaytlynn Cargill was last seen walking her dog not far from her house in Bedford on Monday around 6:20 p.m. local time. When Cargill didn't return home after about 30 minutes, her parents began looking for her. The teen was reported as a missing child to the Bedford Police Department later that night.

Cargill's family told police the teen may have gone to a friend's residence. Officers went to the apartment complex in Bedford where that friend lived Monday night but were unable to locate Cargill. Investigators searched the apartment complex again for additional clues early Tuesday. It's unclear whether Cargill was ever at the apartment complex.

At that time, there was still no reason to believe she was in any danger or to suspect foul play in her disappearance, Bedford Police Chief Jeff Gibson said at a news conference Friday morning.

The Bedford Police Department issued an alert to the community later Tuesday, asking for the public's help in locating Cargill. There was no issuance of an Amber Alert because the circumstances of the girl's disappearance did not meet the strict criteria required by state and federal law, Gibson noted.

On Wednesday, investigators continued canvassing the apartment complex in Bedford and searched the surrounding area for Cargill.

That afternoon, the Bedford Police Department received a call from authorities in Arlington that a body had been found in a landfill there, and the deceased person matched the characteristics of the missing teen, according to Gibson.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and positively identified the body as Cargill on Thursday. The cause of death has not yet been determined.

At the press conference Friday, Gibson said the body showed no signs of trauma, and it's unclear whether Cargill was killed by somebody. However, her death is now a criminal investigation, Gibson added.

The girl's family has requested privacy, which Gibson asked the media to respect.

"This is a terrible loss to the family, a great loss to her friends, classmates as well as to our community," Gibson told reporters. "We are working diligently and tirelessly on a resolution to this senseless loss."

Cargill was a seventh-grader at Central Junior High School in Euless. Friends and classmates described Cargill as a vibrant young teen who loved band, according to ABC affiliate WFAA.

Investigators are working with the garbage and recycling service that operates the Arlington landfill to determine the origin of the trash dump in which Cargill was discovered.

No arrests have been made and there are no outstanding warrants related to the death investigation at this time. There is no suspect or person of interest, according to Gibson.

The Bedford Police Department has partnered with the Arlington Police Department, federal agencies and a local school district in an effort to solve the death mystery.

"Our No. 1 priority as we move forward in the Bedford Police Department is meeting the needs of a grieving family," Gibson told reporters Friday. "We will continue to use all of our resources internally and externally to find the answers that this family and this community deserves."