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

[carbuff]

S0me of the early stories sounded to me like possibly the other girl/woman might have been drunk or drugged or hypothermic or something that caused mental confusion. But that's just my impression.

 

[Dave F.]

S0me of the early stories sounded to me like possibly the other girl/woman might have been drunk or drugged or hypothermic or something that caused mental confusion. But that's just my impression.

Alcohol is always suspected in these matters, but LE has not stated that it was a factor. The weather on Jan. 1 was actually fair. Cold was not a factor until nighttime. At least one person in the van saw her walk away, but someone in the group called the family after they were back on the road to say she was at the rest stop and needed a ride. Nevertheless, organized search by extended family was well underway within three hours after she walked away. IMO

 

[PommyMommy]

Alcohol is always suspected in these matters, but LE has not stated that it was a factor. The weather on Jan. 1 was actually fair. Cold was not a factor until nighttime. At least one person in the van saw her walk away, but someone in the group called the family after they were back on the road to say she was at the rest stop and needed a ride. Nevertheless, the search by extended family was well underway within three hours after she walked away. IMO

BBM

Just to clarify, the driver called his mother to pick up Selena and the other female. IIRC, she was 10 or 15 minutes behind them. MOO

Update: Search suspended for night for teen missing in Big Horn County

ETA:

Hardin teen's disappearance looking 'suspicious' as search continues
A relative of the driver was apparently 10 to 15 minutes behind them...

 

[mickey2942]

I'm sorry, but it's simple logic. The sheriff said 5 people are not all telling the same story, and there are 2 or 3 stories, and 2 people are telling different stories.

Four of the five are telling stories that conflict with the story told by the fifth person, That person's story, in turn, conflicts with the other four. That's five people all telling a story that conflicts with at least one other person. That, by definition, would be five persons telling conflicting stories.
But, the sheriff says that there are 2 or 3 stories, and 2 people who conflict with each other. If there are three stories total, that would mean that 3 people are telling the same story, 1 is telling another story, and 1 is telling yet another story. Everyone would be conflicting with at least two other people. By definition, that would also be five people telling conflicting stories. IMO

And, of course, it is the "fault" of the FBI, that missing native women are not found.

It was interesting, the "Task Force" to find missing people, the missing dropped 17%, just by doing follow up.

Missing people listed in Montana drop 17%

 

[carbuff]

Alcohol is always suspected in these matters, but LE has not stated that it was a factor. The weather on Jan. 1 was actually fair. Cold was not a factor until nighttime. At least one person in the van saw her walk away, but someone in the group called the family after they were back on the road to say she was at the rest stop and needed a ride. Nevertheless, the search by extended family was well underway within three hours after she walked away. IMO

Yeah, I wasn't talking about Selena, I meant the other girl, who is described in some of the articles as barefoot, scratched up, and hiding in a ditch. The Heavy article says she doesn't remember what happened. Selena Not Afraid Missing: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com, in item #3.

Depending on why she was confused and hiding, it points a lot of different directions. Maybe Selena wasn't at the rest stop when the relative got there because she was hiding farther away and was afraid to come out?

 

[mickey2942]

Yeah, I wasn't talking about Selena, I meant the other girl, who is described in some of the articles as barefoot, scratched up, and hiding in a ditch. The Heavy article says she doesn't remember what happened. Selena Not Afraid Missing: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com, in item #3.

Depending on why she was confused and hiding, it points a lot of different directions. Maybe Selena wasn't at the rest stop when the relative got there because she was hiding farther away and was afraid to come out?

Who knows? The witnesses stories are all over the place. Probably they were doing meth, drinking, I doubt any of them were coherent enough to know what occurred.

Sorry, but it is pretty grim and tragic, about the meth epidemic in rural Montana. That area is very well known for meth.

This rez is further North, but it shows a picture of how much of a problem drugs are...

Fort Peck homeless shelters close for meth contamination

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

Ugh, I can't find the article that said the other female was found a few miles away in a ditch though. Does anyone have a link?

This one says in a ditch, but doesn't specify where.

Find Missing Selina Not Afraid!

The official story is that Selena ran off into a field near the Interstate rest stop and disappeared after being left there with another young Native American woman the family says was found with scratched legs from running through bushes and without shoes, hiding in a ditch. It almost sounds like the plot of the movie Wind River, which featured a missing Native American woman who runs without shoes in frigid weather; however, the family of Selena Not Afraid strongly believes she is still alive, and this missing person’s case is all too real.

Cheryl Horn, a “blood sister” of Selena’s mother who watched Selena grow up and is actively involved in the search for the teenager, told Heavy in a lengthy interview: “We believe she was taken. She did not get out and run.”

She said the family was told that a “man in a green car” may have tried to get the two girls to go with him, and they ran. She questioned why authorities have not issued an Amber Alert for Selena. “We’re having to be our own investigators,” she told Heavy.

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

Your link is infected or something.

 

[Dave F.]

And, of course, it is the "fault" of the FBI, that missing native women are not found.

It was interesting, the "Task Force" to find missing people, the missing dropped 17%, just by doing follow up.

Missing people listed in Montana drop 17%

Ms. LaPlant is doing an excellent job. No doubt about that.
I went to the Montana Missing Persons Clearinghouse website, and found a total of 69 missing women currently listed, of which 20 (or 29%) were native women. Of those twenty (8% of the total missing women) have been reported missing since December 20, 2019. That's a month. Indians make up 6% of Montana's population and are going missing at the rate of 8% of the total missing women every month?
There is no easy fix. The creation of Ms. LaPlant's job is certainly a step in the right direction, but it's not the entire solution.
Likewise, the FBI has always been responsible for assisting tribal and BIA police when needed and requested, but due the the few and far between nature of FBI resources in the west, the support has been varied. New Federal mandates are making it easier to deploy FBI rapid response teams, but it's hardly the cavalry riding in to save the day. It is one step of many needed steps in the right direction.
Progress is happening, but there is much left to do. IMO

https://app.doj.mt.gov/enforcement/...=&County=&City=&ShowPhotos=on&Search=Advanced

 

[MimosaMornings]

That’s her in the picture?

 

[katydid23]

It breaks my heart reading how hard this has been on her mother. A mother who has already lost three children. How can a mother face this? How does a mother get up each day and put one foot in front of the other, when her baby is gone?

I just cannot imagine how much grief and loss she has already endured. So heartbreaking.

 

[crhedBngr]

Still praying she is found soon and unharmed.

 

[Seattle1]

She said the family was told that a “man in a green car” may have tried to get the two girls to go with him, and they ran. She questioned why authorities have not issued an Amber Alert for Selena. “We’re having to be our own investigators,” she told Heavy.

^^sbm

At least we know now (since the date of Heavy article) that the green car was mistaken identity. I think so many stories from family were merged when talking to reporters. MOO

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 12, 2020
Search efforts for Selena Not Afraid continue
A search group has been camping out for the last twelve days at the rest stop where Selena Not Afraid went missing January 1st trying to find any clues or tips of her disappearance.

This search party group is made up of members of neighboring tribes such as Fort Belnap and Northern Cheyenne as well as the general public.

[...]

"We operate everyday. On the tips that don't go anywhere except our inbox, everything is followed up. Every clue, every tip," said Selena's Aunt Cheryl Horn.

[...]

Horn commented, "We still can use people on the ground. We still have area's that are suggested that we search. But be safe, if you can just search your own area. That's one thing is stay safe. Search your properties, search your barn's, all that."

According to Horn, the local assistance has been great but they still are in need of locals who know the land to lend a helping hand.

[...]

Even with a majority of the supplies being paid for out of their own pockets, this local search party has remained resilient and has simply trusted the process.

[...]

Different ways you can help out this group would be donating gas cards for the search vehicles that are going out to look for Selena as well as any various things that can produce heat or warmth for them. And one thing that would be a major help would be lodging, getting a motel room or anything like that for them especially with the weather getting cold.

 

[Seajay]

JAN 12, 2020
Search efforts for Selena Not Afraid continue
A search group has been camping out for the last twelve days at the rest stop where Selena Not Afraid went missing January 1st trying to find any clues or tips of her disappearance.

This search party group is made up of members of neighboring tribes such as Fort Belnap and Northern Cheyenne as well as the general public.

[...]

"We operate everyday. On the tips that don't go anywhere except our inbox, everything is followed up. Every clue, every tip," said Selena's Aunt Cheryl Horn.

[...]

Horn commented, "We still can use people on the ground. We still have area's that are suggested that we search. But be safe, if you can just search your own area. That's one thing is stay safe. Search your properties, search your barn's, all that."

According to Horn, the local assistance has been great but they still are in need of locals who know the land to lend a helping hand.

[...]

Even with a majority of the supplies being paid for out of their own pockets, this local search party has remained resilient and has simply trusted the process.

[...]

Different ways you can help out this group would be donating gas cards for the search vehicles that are going out to look for Selena as well as any various things that can produce heat or warmth for them. And one thing that would be a major help would be lodging, getting a motel room or anything like that for them especially with the weather getting cold.

Wow, I hadn’t thought about the needs for the searchers. They do need warmth and food, gas and a place to stay.

 

[Seajay]

Ms. LaPlant is doing an excellent job. No doubt about that.
I went to the Montana Missing Persons Clearinghouse website, and found a total of 69 missing women currently listed, of which 20 (or 29%) were native women. Of those twenty (8% of the total missing women) have been reported missing since December 20, 2019. That's a month. Indians make up 6% of Montana's population and are going missing at the rate of 8% of the total missing women every month?
There is no easy fix. The creation of Ms. LaPlant's job is certainly a step in the right direction, but it's not the entire solution.
Likewise, the FBI has always been responsible for assisting tribal and BIA police when needed and requested, but due the the few and far between nature of FBI resources in the west, the support has been varied. New Federal mandates are making it easier to deploy FBI rapid response teams, but it's hardly the cavalry riding in to save the day. It is one step of many needed steps in the right direction.
Progress is happening, but there is much left to do. IMO

https://app.doj.mt.gov/enforcement/...=&County=&City=&ShowPhotos=on&Search=Advanced

It’s all so convoluted and confusing, dealing with the different agencies. People afraid of stepping on toes.

These native woman are disappearing at what I see to be alarming rates. They are not safe. How horrible. And with a corrupt system, one that protects the perps, not the victims, all I can see is nothing short of an overhaul.

Tribal Council Members need to commit to enforcing their laws, then the Tribal Police need to go after those committing these crimes. The Bureau of Indian Affairs needs to make sure this is what is being done. And if it’s the job of the FBI to go in and straighten this mess out, then they should. We are already trillions in debt, what’s another billion to pay people to go in there and fix this mess where these women don’t have to worry about being abducted and sold into human trafficking. MOO

 

[mickey2942]

Ms. LaPlant is doing an excellent job. No doubt about that.
I went to the Montana Missing Persons Clearinghouse website, and found a total of 69 missing women currently listed, of which 20 (or 29%) were native women. Of those twenty (8% of the total missing women) have been reported missing since December 20, 2019. That's a month. Indians make up 6% of Montana's population and are going missing at the rate of 8% of the total missing women every month?
There is no easy fix. The creation of Ms. LaPlant's job is certainly a step in the right direction, but it's not the entire solution.
Likewise, the FBI has always been responsible for assisting tribal and BIA police when needed and requested, but due the the few and far between nature of FBI resources in the west, the support has been varied. New Federal mandates are making it easier to deploy FBI rapid response teams, but it's hardly the cavalry riding in to save the day. It is one step of many needed steps in the right direction.
Progress is happening, but there is much left to do. IMO

https://app.doj.mt.gov/enforcement/...=&County=&City=&ShowPhotos=on&Search=Advanced

The FBI agents in Montana pound themselves into the ground to investigate crimes on Indian reservations. The distances are far, but I personally know how many hours a week they work, and most of that is just driving time to get to the areas.

@Seajay The FBI can't just go in and "clean house". Reservations are sovereign states, ie, nations. And as I mentioned earlier, everything here needs to be viewed by a lens of complicated history, and culture.

Sad. But, why would anyone leave young women at a rest area in the middle of nowhere? What is missing from this story? Rather than lump this in with missing native women, the real players of this situation and the stories need to be analyzed.

My personal belief, is that the issue of missing native women, lies in the beginning of the day, the actions of the missing person, the actions of who she was with, and most importantly, the story of the last person who saw her.

 

[dkryder]

The FBI agents in Montana pound themselves into the ground to investigate crimes on Indian reservations. The distances are far, but I personally know how many hours a week they work, and most of that is just driving time to get to the areas.

@Seajay The FBI can't just go in and "clean house". Reservations are sovereign states, ie, nations. And as I mentioned earlier, everything here needs to be viewed by a lens of complicated history, and culture.

Sad. But, why would anyone leave young women at a rest area in the middle of nowhere? What is missing from this story? Rather than lump this in with missing native women, the real players of this situation and the stories need to be analyzed.

My personal belief, is that the issue of missing native women, lies in the beginning of the day, the actions of the missing person, the actions of who she was with, and most importantly, the story of the last person who saw her.

agree. when i read the stories about this i was impressed with the lack of care and concern for this young woman by those she was with, i'm guessing , the "adults" of the group. it's also just very strange that supposedly within 15 to 30 mins before the next group arrived the woman seemingly disappeared.

 

[mickey2942]

agree. when i read the stories about this i was impressed with the lack of care and concern for this young woman by those she was with, i'm guessing , the "adults" of the group. it's also just very strange that supposedly within 15 to 30 mins before the next group arrived the woman seemingly disappeared.

And why did the search take over a week to get started? She has been missing since January 1? What has been happening since then? They get the FBI involved after almost a week?

 

[Curiousobserver]

agree. when i read the stories about this i was impressed with the lack of care and concern for this young woman by those she was with, i'm guessing , the "adults" of the group. it's also just very strange that supposedly within 15 to 30 mins before the next group arrived the woman seemingly disappeared.

Exactly my feeling when I read this- a huge failure of her "friends" to look out for her.

Rule #1: stay together