ICSO: Remains found near the Salton Sea in December confirmed to be those of missing teen T’Neya Tovar
Garrett Hottle
VISTA DELMAR, Calif. (KESQ) The Imperial County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Thursday that human remains found in Salton City in December have been identified as 17 year old T’Neya “TT” Tovar, who was reported missing out of Riverside County.
News Channel 3 first reported Wednesday that T’Neya’s mother, Charro Tovar, said the Imperial County Coroner informed her that remains found near the Salton Sea area in December were confirmed to be her daughter’s. At the time, authorities had not publicly confirmed the identification.
On Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office formally confirmed the remains were Tovar’s following DNA analysis.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded on December 21, 2025, around 4:22 p.m. to the area of Portsmouth Avenue and Newhaven Court in Vista Delmar after receiving a report of found human remains. Deputies located a human leg that showed signs of decomposition.
The Imperial County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Unit took over the investigation and sent the remains to the county’s forensic pathologist for examination. Authorities said the pathologist was initially unable to determine the sex, age, or race of the remains.
Over the following weeks, investigators worked to develop a DNA profile and searched neighboring agencies’ databases for a match. Those efforts were unsuccessful at first.
On February 6, 2026, the Sheriff’s Office Scientific Investigations Unit received a positive female DNA match from the remains. Investigators then contacted the mother of a missing female juvenile believed to have been in the Salton City area. After she provided a DNA sample, rapid DNA analysis confirmed the remains belonged to T’Neya Tovar, officials said. ICSO_Press Release_Human Remain…
The Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing and that it is working with the FBI.
Anyone with additional information is urged to contact Investigator Moreno with the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office at (442) 265-2265.
This is an ongoing investigation. KESQ will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.