Arizona family searching for answers, justice after man was found dead in Wittmann wash

PHOENIX - A West Valley family is searching for answers after 21-year-old Forest Redding's body was found in a wash near 227th Avenue and Patton Road in Wittmann.

On Nov. 3, Forest's mother, Lindsey Wells, was contacted by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. It was news no parents want to ever receive.

"My heart sank when they told me that he was found dead in the desert," Wells said.

Forest's body was found the day before authorities contacted Wells. The discovery led detectives to open a homicide investigation, but no arrests have been made at this time.

Wells affectionately refers to her son as "her little punk."

Forest Redding

"He came into the world with a mohawk that would never lay down, so I should've known from day one that he was going to be a troublemaker," Wells said.

Despite his rebellious ways, the victim's family says he was dedicated to showing up for them.

"He absolutely loved his family," Wells said. "He would do anything for his older sister or his little brother or me. We miss him."

Forest's family recently visited the area where he was found. It was an experience, Wells said, that sent chills down her spine.

"He had a new tattoo on his chest of a hawk, and while we were there, a hawk flew over," Wells recounted. "It was just a special moment."

The family, meanwhile, is grasping for closure.

"I want to know whoever did it," Wells said. "I want them to come clean. They took my son's life away and her little brother's life away. I want answers."