Cadence Langley was a teenager whose body was discovered in a rural part of Graham County, Arizona, near Artesia, in the fall of 2020.
In late August 2022, it was announced she had been identified and her mother was charged with the fraudulent gaining of benefits after the victim's death. In September 2022, Amber Langley was charged with the first-degree murder of her daughter.
Case[]
Cadence's decomposed body was discovered in a float box on the property of a ranch, near the cities of Artesia and Stafford, Arizona. Her body was wrapped in a tarp and a blanket. There were toys near the body, including a stuffed animal and several My Little Pony dolls. It was determined she had been shot to death.
In February 2022, the sheriff's office received information from Innovative Forensic Investigations that the Jane Doe was Cadence Langley after they put her DNA through GEDMatch and found matches to both her mother and father.
20 days before Cadence's body was found, Stafford Police received a call about a small fire that had started in a home. Amber Langley, Cadence's mother, answered the door and told them that Cadence had started the fire and said she planned on sending Cadence away to a group home. Officers noticed they were 'unable to communicate with Cadence'.
Amber had not reported Cadence missing. The FBI found Amber had been claiming benefits for her military service and social security payments for Cadence. An FBI agent phoned her posing a social security agent and asked her about the benefits she had received for Cadence, but Amber insisted Cadence still lived with the family. The FBI then checked the traffic cameras on the day Cadence's body was dumped and saw Amber's vehicle in the area.
When Amber was arrested, she told the FBI she had been struggling with Cadence's behavior for a long time. She stated that on the day Cadence died, they had driven out to go shooting but when they arrived in the desert, Cadence began screaming and disrobing, so Amber panicked and shot her. She then hid the body in the float box, and took her toys and other possessions out to lay with her body.
Characteristics[]
- Light brown hair, cut short to about 3 inches.
Clothing[]
- Dark robe or gown, described as a 'witches robe'.
- Hooded sweatshirt depicting skulls and zig-zag patterns in black and white, located near the body.
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- Gila Valley Central
- Gila Herald:
- Article #1 (10/29/2020)
- Article #2 (08/31/2022)
- Article #3 (11/19/2022)
- Arizona Silver Belt
- Eastern Arizona Courier