Her mother left her waiting outside a bathroom door for a few minutes. When she came out, Janet was simply gone.
Janet Castrejon, 44, disappeared from Rustler Park campground in the Chiricahua Mountains of southern Arizona on June 19, 2015. Three years later, her remains were found roughly a mile away, though no cause of death was ever determined.
Who Janet Was
Janet suffered a traumatic brain injury in a 1988 car accident at age 18, shortly after completing her first semester studying computer science at New Mexico State University. She spent three months in a coma and, while she relearned to walk and talk, was left with significantly diminished mental capacity, poor eyesight, and a dependence on her parents for the rest of her life.
A Father's Day Trip
Janet arrived at Rustler Park with her parents, Eduardo and Lydia Castrejon, around early afternoon on June 19, 2015, to camp for the weekend. That evening, Janet and her mother walked together to deposit their campground fee at a self-pay station. Afterward, Lydia stopped at a nearby restroom while Janet waited outside. When Lydia came out just a few minutes later, Janet was gone.
An Immediate, Extensive Search
Janet's parents searched the area calling her name before her brother Fabian and other family members arrived and joined the effort, eventually calling 911 from a spot with cell signal. Search and rescue teams, including dog units, combed the area through the night and over the following days and weeks; the family, particularly Fabian and Janet's sister Xochitl, continued searching independently for months, until the park closed for the season that October. No trace of Janet was found at the time.
A Family Convinced of Foul Play
Given Janet's physical limitations — she had limited vision, avoided physical exertion, and wasn't capable of walking far on her own — her family believed from the start that she couldn't have wandered off and must have encountered someone. Fabian later said he felt the initial search effort by local authorities fell short, and that an offer of outside assistance from a New Mexico search team was turned down.
Remains Found, No Answers on Cause
On August 5, 2018, a hiker discovered bone fragments and a braid of hair about a mile from where Janet had last been seen. In September 2019, the Cochise County Sheriff's Office confirmed through DNA testing with the Tucson Medical Examiner's Office that the remains were Janet's. No evidence of foul play was found, though authorities also said there was no way to determine an exact cause of death given the condition of the remains.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Janet Castrejon's death been explained?
Not fully. Her remains were confirmed found in 2019, but the Cochise County Sheriff's Office said there was no way to determine a cause of death, and no evidence of foul play was found.
Does the family believe she was abducted?
Yes. Given her physical limitations, her family has maintained she couldn't have traveled far on her own and believes something happened to her, though no evidence has ever confirmed this.
Where were her remains found?
Roughly a mile from where she was last seen near the Rustler Park campground restroom.