Found Deceased MT - Selina (Selena) Not Afraid, 16, I-90 rest area between Billings & Hardin, 1 Jan 2020

[PommyMommy]

JAN 29, 2020
Candlelight vigil in memory of Selena Not Afraid planned for Kalispell
A candlelight vigil to honor the memory of a teen who was found dead in a field near Hardin earlier this month will be held on Wednesday evening in Kalispell.

[...]

The group Love Lives Here in the Flathead Valley notes in a social media post that “all people in the community, Native and non-Native, are welcome to attend this vigil.”

[...]

Wednesday evening’s vigil will take place from 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at the Community Spirit Monument in Kalispell’s Woodland Park.

People who plan on attending the event are being asked to bring candles and to wear red.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 29, 2020
Montana's Criminal Justice division to review, assist in Selena Not Afraid investigation - Casper Star Tribune
The Montana Division of Criminal Justice will assist with and review the investigation into Selena Not Afraid's death, after the lead the investigating agency requested help.

[...]

The DCI will begin reviewing the "investigative materials and evidence" from the county and other agencies involved in the investigation, according to a statement from DCI administrator Bryan Lockerby.

"One of our primary roles in a tragic incident like this is to help provide an external professional perspective for the lead law enforcement agency," Lockerby said. ...

Only a local, county, state or federal law enforcement agency can ask for help from the DCI, according to state law. The DCI averages about 60 new cases per year in its major case section, according to DOJ spokesperson John Barnes. ...

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 29, 2020
Montana's Criminal Justice division to review, assist in Selena Not Afraid death investigation - Independent Record
[...]

In a press release issued Jan. 23, Crow Chairman Alvin "A.J." Not Afraid asked for assistance in the investigation into Selena's death from Montana Attorney General Tim Fox. In a Monday response, Fox expressed grief at Selena's death, but said a law enforcement agency would have to request assistance before the DCI could intervene.

Fox responded to Not Afraid's letter on Monday, a day before Big Hair formally requested help. ...

 

[Dave F.]

I believe SKT is the only tribe(s) that currently operate under P.L. 280 agreement with the state. This has been the case for nearly 20 years. Lake County wants to end the arrangement because of cost.

At the link is an extensive explanation of just how confusing and overlapping P.L. 280 is, in direct relation to victim's rights in Indian country, which is a completely inappropriate for this discussion, since no crime occurred within an Indian reservation.
Public Law 280: Issues and Concerns for Victims of Crime in Indian Country, by Ada Pecos Melton and Jerry Gardner
If a crime happened at the rest stop, the jurisdiction is clearly divided between the State of Montana and Big Horn County. The Crow Indian Reservation would have no part. If a crime happened beyond the fence, up to and including the point at which the body of Selena was found, this is private agricultural property and would be subject to the jurisdiction of Big Horn County. Neither place is located on the Crow Reservation, so if there is a jurisdictional problem, it does not belong in this case. IMO, IANAL
The specific area we are talking about is the south half of Section 3, Township 01 S, Range 30 E, Montana Prime Meridian.
Montana Cadastral

 

[Jazzy5980]

At the link is an extensive explanation of just how confusing and overlapping P.L. 280 is, in direct relation to victim's rights in Indian country, which is a completely inappropriate for this discussion, since no crime occurred within an Indian reservation.
Public Law 280: Issues and Concerns for Victims of Crime in Indian Country, by Ada Pecos Melton and Jerry Gardner
If a crime happened at the rest stop, the jurisdiction is clearly divided between the State of Montana and Big Horn County. The Crow Indian Reservation would have no part. If a crime happened beyond the fence, up to and including the point at which the body of Selena was found, this is private agricultural property and would be subject to the jurisdiction of Big Horn County. Neither place is located on the Crow Reservation, so if there is a jurisdictional problem, it does not belong in this case. IMO, IANAL
The specific area we are talking about is the south half of Section 3, Township 01 S, Range 30 E, Montana Prime Meridian.
Montana Cadastral

Spot on. I was simply responding to your earlier post re. Crow Tribe’s adoption of P.L. 280.

 

[SternOwl]

I had not read anything before about her adopted parents until reading this.
I am not familiar, is that usual in the Native American culture to have adopted parents?

My husband is Native. He has parents, stepparents, adopted parents and like 100 aunties and uncles (not blood related). He was raised by all these people so I don't find it uncommon.

 

[SternOwl]

This case tears at me. Seems so obvious that foul play was involved but until pushed by family was treated dismissively.

 

[Seattle1]

JAN 29, 2020
Candlelight vigil in memory of Selena Not Afraid planned for Kalispell
A candlelight vigil to honor the memory of a teen who was found dead in a field near Hardin earlier this month will be held on Wednesday evening in Kalispell.

[...]

The group Love Lives Here in the Flathead Valley notes in a social media post that “all people in the community, Native and non-Native, are welcome to attend this vigil.”

[...]

Wednesday evening’s vigil will take place from 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at the Community Spirit Monument in Kalispell’s Woodland Park.

People who plan on attending the event are being asked to bring candles and to wear red.

[...]

Kalispell is almost 500 miles from the Billings area. If you know Montana - it's a universe away. Peace and comfort to the grieving communities.

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

I've caught up a lot in the last 2 days. Now we have 529 pics and articles in the Case Archive.
I'm really glad to see the media attention on this case. It has sparked a lot of movement on behalf of MMIW.

Please go have a look and click through 10 or 500 of the files,; it will make my work worth it if someone gets something out of it.
There are lots of articles that have not been linked here.

Case Archive:
Selina Not Afraid -MT- by amanda reckonwith

Cell phone users may have trouble with the general link, so try this and scroll...
Selina (goes by Selena) Not Afraid

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

https://thesheridanpress.com/119046/selena-not-afraid-investigation-continues/

A lot of details, and some may or may not be accurate. Mainly, it says there were 4 males and 2 females.
But we know there were 3 females, the snapchat shows that.

Selena was found beyond the power lines. The first night the heat-sensing drone went up but was recalled because of wind and rain,
plus the operator was afraid the drone would get caught in the power lines.
That explains why no heat sensor identified her (if she was there then).

 

[PommyMommy]

https://thesheridanpress.com/119046/selena-not-afraid-investigation-continues/

A lot of details, and some may or may not be accurate. Mainly, it says there were 4 males and 2 females.
But we know there were 3 females, the snapchat shows that.

Selena was found beyond the power lines. The first night the heat-sensing drone went up but was recalled because of wind and rain,
plus the operator was afraid the drone would get caught in the power lines.
That explains why no heat sensor identified her (if she was there then).

Thank you for this article, Amanda, and for all your work on the Case Archive.

Winburn says the toxicology should take about 4 weeks.

I am noting some of the article here because I see some new information:

Despite witness statements, Winburn said for the first few days of the search, law enforcement wasn’t convinced she had made it to the rest area until they found “hard evidence” she had been there — a social media post showing part of her body with the clothes she was reportedly wearing.

[...]

BHCSO deputies searched the afternoon she was reported missing, through the night and into the next day when Winburn was sworn in as undersheriff and joined the search. They began in the direction the female witness statement provided.

Not Afraid was found wearing boots and with an un-powered cellphone, which they determined had died in Billings where the last ping was recorded, Winburn said. Leads from the investigation influenced the search. For example, the female witness left her shoes at the house party in Billings.

“They weren’t positive [Not Afraid] had shoes on either,” Winburn said. “So, in their minds, that might have limited how far out they went that first night…once it started getting dark it was windy and rainy and cold. It got really cold that night.”

[...]

The first night, law enforcement deployed and then recalled a thermal drone when the weather became wet and windy. The operator was concerned about flying the drone around power lines, Winburn said. He could not confirm if the area was searched on foot after the drone was recalled.

Not Afraid was found beyond the power lines. She may have hiked out some distance the first day and returned later — one reason why she may not have been found the first night, Winburn said.

[...]

Winburn said the BHCSO could have also organized some further training with volunteers about search tactics to potentially find her body more quickly. There was no debris covering Not Afraid’s body and no obvious scavenging, Winburn said.

Because of the angle from the road and nature of the landscape, when they looked in the direction she was found, they couldn’t see her until they became extremely close to the body, he said.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

Finally, a little information about the dogs' training...

Selena Not Afraid investigation continues
Firebaugh said rather than letting Dutch off-leash to spread out on his own, he kept him close to prevent any potential bite situations with searchers. Dutch is a trained bite dog who is accustomed to catching “bad guys,” not missing people, Firebaugh said.

[...]

Another K9 from Stillwater County, Montana, assisted with the search along the interstate, he said. Firebaugh said they spent about an hour and a half searching the area but without concrete information to guide their search, their route was fairly arbitrary. Firebaugh said he learned later they had been heading in the opposite direction of where she was found.

[...]

Firebaugh searched from the house and along Montana Avenue in Billings, following the most likely path from the party to I-90. He was attempting to ensure the phone wasn’t lost, thrown out or dumped — using Dutch to search for items with human odor. He found plenty of items but none indicating a lead on Not Afraid, he said.

“That late in the game, that’s normal and expected,” Firebaugh said.

The possibility that her body was laying there and everyone missed it isn’t out of the question, he said. However, neither Firebaugh, his K9, nor his partner who joined the search found any visual signs of her body.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 31, 2020
Honoring Selena Not Afraid
In honor of missing and murdered indigenous women, a group of relay runners who took off from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on January 24, joined others at the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation on January 25, and journeyed through the Crow Indian Reservation for a total 350 miles to Selena Not Afraid’s memorial service here January 26.

[...]

 

[mickey2942]

Kalispell is almost 500 miles from the Billings area. If you know Montana - it's a universe away. Peace and comfort to the grieving communities.

They say that Montana is really a small town, with a very long Main street. Which is very true.

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

Yesterday there was a Justice March that ended at the Big Horn County Courthouse in Hardin.
Really cold and windy, but there was a decent turnout.

Marchers in Hardin demand answers about missing and murdered indigenous women

I posted over 20 pics in the Case Archive:
Selina Not Afraid -MT- by amanda reckonwith

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 29, 2020
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...ontana-girl-reported-missing-ruled-accidental
The death of a 16-year-old Hardin girl who went missing after reportedly walking away from a highway rest stop has been ruled accidental, Montana authorities said Saturday.

The ruling on Selena Not Afraid's death by the Montana State Medical Examiner's Office was released by the Big Horn County Sheriff's Office, according to The Billings Gazette.

[...]

An autopsy found she died of hypothermia. ...

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 29, 2020
Autopsy results received for Selena Not Afraid death investigation
Big Horn County, Montana authorities have confirmed that 16-year-old Selena Not Afraid died of hypothermia. The report, which is signed by four state medical examiners, characterizes the death as accidental.

Autopsy reveals Selena Not Afraid's cause of death
[...]
That report coincides with the preliminary autopsy report released just days after Not Afraid’s body was found on January 20th.

The press release however does not release toxicology number, details the investigators say they needed in this case.

Selena Not Afraid's death ruled accidental
[...]

She died of hypothermia, and there was no evidence of violence, according to the preliminary autopsy conducted by the state medical examiner.

[...]

The autopsy was attended by the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, Bureau Of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and the Bureau of Land Management Division of Law Enforcement.

[...]

Official Autopsy results received for Selena Not Afraid death investigation
The report from the Big Horn County Sheriff's Office matches the initial report given by Big Horn County Undersheriff Eric Winburn in late January.

 

[Laura456]

FEB 29, 2020
Autopsy results received for Selena Not Afraid death investigation
Big Horn County, Montana authorities have confirmed that 16-year-old Selena Not Afraid died of hypothermia. The report, which is signed by four state medical examiners, characterizes the death as accidental.

Autopsy reveals Selena Not Afraid's cause of death
[...]
That report coincides with the preliminary autopsy report released just days after Not Afraid’s body was found on January 20th.

The press release however does not release toxicology number, details the investigators say they needed in this case.

Selena Not Afraid's death ruled accidental
[...]

She died of hypothermia, and there was no evidence of violence, according to the preliminary autopsy conducted by the state medical examiner.

[...]

The autopsy was attended by the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, Bureau Of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and the Bureau of Land Management Division of Law Enforcement.

[...]

Official Autopsy results received for Selena Not Afraid death investigation
The report from the Big Horn County Sheriff's Office matches the initial report given by Big Horn County Undersheriff Eric Winburn in late January.

Why wouldn't she just have gone back to the rest stop?

 

[PommyMommy]

Why wouldn't she just have gone back to the rest stop?

Hypothermia - Wikipedia

Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below 35.0 °C (95.0 °F) in humans.[2] Symptoms depend on the temperature.[2] In mild hypothermia there is shivering and mental confusion.[2] In moderate hypothermia shivering stops and confusion increases. ...

[...]

Hypothermia has two main types of causes. It classically occurs from exposure to extreme cold.[1] It may also occur from any condition that decreases heat production or increases heat loss.[1] Commonly this includes alcohol intoxication...

[...]

As hypothermia progresses, symptoms include: mental status changes such as amnesia, confusion, slurred speech, decreased reflexes, and loss of fine motor skills.[19]

As the temperature decreases, further physiological systems falter and heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure all decrease. This results in an expected heart rate in the 30s at a temperature of 28 °C (82 °F).[16]

There is often cold, inflamed skin, hallucinations, lack of reflexes, fixed dilated pupils, low blood pressure, pulmonary edema...

[...]

... Hypothermia usually occurs from exposure to low temperatures, and is frequently complicated by alcohol consumption.[1]

[...]

... Alcohol is a common risk factor for death due to hypothermia.[32] Between 33% and 73% of hypothermia cases are complicated by alcohol.[29]

[...]

 

[SJS]

This case is so heartbreaking -I can't imagine how traumatic it has been for her family and friends. While I'm still catching up on this thread, the amount of dedicated work on this thread archiving and establishing the details is so great to see here.

Has anyone heard any follow-up on her toxicology report? Hopefully there might be additional information that could help narrow down the theories as to what happened to Selena. I'm sure others have raised the idea, but I've wondered if she was not necessarily intoxicated but incapacitated by a drug at the party or on the drive back.