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

[Zella]

Regardless of whether or not anyone in the car with Selena was related to her - there must be some way that it's child neglect or something to drive a minor to a rest stop and abandon her there in the middle of the night? Once they agreed to take her with them, I mean?

Assuming the best possible scenario - that nothing nefarious was planned , it still seems likely that leaving an intoxicated teen at a closed rest stop at night with another woman who it sounds like was also in an altered mental state is not a very safe thing for the teen.

Please correct me if I have details wrong - I read about this in the beginning,but I don't really understand the reasoning for she and the other woman being left there.

She wasn't left at night. It was during the afternoon. Not that that makes the decision a great one--I still can't fathom why anyone would have been left at the rest stop in the scenario that was presented--but Selena and the woman were not left on the side of the road in the dark at night.

 

[Pax10]

She wasn't left at night. It was during the afternoon. Not that that makes the decision a great one--I still can't fathom why anyone would have been left at the rest stop in the scenario that was presented--but Selena and the woman were not left on the side of the road in the dark at night.

Edited: Whoops. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

 

[Jazzy5980]

She wasn't left at night. It was during the afternoon. Not that that makes the decision a great one--I still can't fathom why anyone would have been left at the rest stop in the scenario that was presented--but Selena and the woman were not left on the side of the road in the dark at night.

Does the fact that Selena was left during the day justify the driver’s decision to leave a 16 year old girl, who was possibly under the influence, at a rest stop (closed for the winter), adjacent to the interstate and miles from human habitation?

 

[mickey2942]

I cannot believe the justifications here...

"The weather was mild"
"She wasn't left alone, in the middle of the night.".

So, that means that it is okay to LEAVE people in the middle of nowhere?!

 

[MimosaMornings]

The van breakdown at the rest stop was not the first for the driver and passengers heading to Harding from Billings.

Reportedly, they had stopped at least twice before with driver trying to serve as a mechanic, and also keep his passengers (all allegedly drinking) seated inside.

The rest stop facility was closed for the winter. All passengers remained in the van except for Selena and another adult female. They left the disabled van. When the driver could not get them back inside the barely idling van, he called his mother to stop at rest stop and collect the two passengers-- Selena and other women (ditch woman). Weather conditions were reported as mild -- there was no snow. (Selena was last seen around 2 pm, wearing light clothing, and may have been intoxicated).

The driver's mom was actually traveling behind the van driving to Harding and arrived within 1o-15 minutes. She located the ditch woman, but could not find Selena. Search efforts for Selena were immediate -- as soon as the van driver's mom did not find her waiting with the other female passenger. The van driver, his mother, family members were all in contact.

It's not clear from the disjointed media when the formal missing person reports were filed but family and friends immediately came to the rest stop where they stayed searching all night. MOO

Search continues for missing Montana teen

Thank you @Seattle1

The other driver was only 10-15 behind minutes the van driver, was able to locate the other female but guessing Selena was too far away to hear them calling for her or was incapacitated in some way and unable to respond.

 

[Pax10]

The van breakdown at the rest stop was not the first for the driver and passengers heading to Harding from Billings.

Reportedly, they had stopped at least twice before with driver trying to serve as a mechanic, and also keep his passengers (all allegedly drinking) seated inside.

The rest stop facility was closed for the winter. All passengers remained in the van except for Selena and another adult female. They left the disabled van. When the driver could not get them back inside the barely idling van, he called his mother to stop at rest stop and collect the two passengers-- Selena and other women (ditch woman). Weather conditions were reported as mild -- there was no snow. (Selena was last seen around 2 pm, wearing light clothing, and may have been intoxicated).

The driver's mom was actually traveling behind the van driving to Harding and arrived within 1o-15 minutes. She located the ditch woman, but could not find Selena. Search efforts for Selena were immediate -- as soon as the van driver's mom did not find her waiting with the other female passenger. The van driver, his mother, family members were all in contact.

It's not clear from the disjointed media when the formal missing person reports were filed but family and friends immediately came to the rest stop where they stayed searching all night. MOO

Search continues for missing Montana teen

So there really was hardly anytime at all between when the women left the van and when the search began?

That's another issue I apparently had wrong. I didn't realize that the search started so quickly.

 

[Zella]

Does the fact that Selena was left during the day justify the driver’s decision to leave a 16 year old girl, who was possibly under the influence, at a rest stop (closed for the winter), adjacent to the interstate and miles from human habitation?

I cannot believe the justifications here...

"The weather was mild"
"She wasn't left alone, in the middle of the night.".

So, that means that it is okay to LEAVE people in the middle of nowhere?!

I very clearly stated it wasn't a justification and was just clearing up a misconception. Please do not twist what I said to imply I was justifying what was done.

 

[MimosaMornings]

How far was it from the closed rest stop to Selena’s home?

 

[Seattle1]

Thank you @Seattle1

The other driver was only 10-15 behind minutes the van driver, was able to locate the other female but guessing Selena was too far away to hear them calling for her or was incapacitated in some way and unable to respond.

One of the very first reports about Selena missing included a quote from Selena's aunt stating that Selena was believed extremely intoxicated. I always believed that unless Selena started hitchhiking and got a ride, that she most likely passed out not too far away. We know the not far away is correct and will have to wait on autopsy results for the rest.

I believe this was a very tragic event surrounding New Year's celebration and two days of underage drinking. MOO

 

[mickey2942]

I thought Websleuths was supposed to be "Victim Friendly".

Has there been ANY verification that Selena Not Afraid was impaired? Any Main Stream Media that has stated this as a fact?

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

Here's a grid search map. The colored lines were searched. Different colors for different days.
They thought she'd go southeast, towards Hardin, so that is where the search was intense.

 

[Seattle1]

So there really was hardly anytime at all between when the women left the van and when the search began?

That's another issue I apparently had wrong. I didn't realize that the search started so quickly.

The search for Selena around the truck stop and the surrounding area was immediate -- she literally disappeared within 15 minutes. Search for Selena never stopped -- multiple agencies, drones, helicopters, dogs. Relief and gratitude that she was located, and can finally be put to rest.

I think much misinformation started after law enforcement interviewed the passengers in the van and their accounts were inconsistent from each other. This gave birth to rumors and more beginning with Selena never in the van or at the rest stop, and so on...... I'm sure they are also glad that Selena was recovered. MOO

 

[Seattle1]

I thought Websleuths was supposed to be "Victim Friendly".

Has there been ANY verification that Selena Not Afraid was impaired? Any Main Stream Media that has stated this as a fact?

See opening thread post # 1 by Moderator.

"....She is possibly intoxicated and not dressed for cold weather conditions...."

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

According to Horn, Selena was “very drunk and she was trying to get in another car” when she was allegedly “forced into that white van” that then journeyed to the rest stop. She said the family is surprised Selena was intoxicated because they believed she didn’t drink.

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

Websleuths is Victim Friendly and claims otherwise are unfounded. MOO

 

[Jazzy5980]

How far was it from the closed rest stop to Selena’s home?

The rest stop is at mile marker 474 and the first exit for Hardin City Center is 495 so approx 20 miles. Although I’m not sure where Selena lived in Hardin. I’ve traveled all over the world, sometimes alone, and I can’t imagine walking along that stretch of interstate in my wildest dreams. Obvious to me why Selena would not want to be near that highway.

 

[Jazzy5980]

I thought Websleuths was supposed to be "Victim Friendly".

Has there been ANY verification that Selena Not Afraid was impaired? Any Main Stream Media that has stated this as a fact?

No definitive answers until completion of autopsy and release of toxicology reports.

 

[catch_22]

This is probably irrelevant to this case, but usually on new years day, i am hungover, and the last thing i want is more alcohol.

Also, one of the early posts in this thread said that 3 of the van occupants were from billings. This just sounded a little strange to me. I guess i just assumed that all of the van occupants were from hardin, and were returning home from a visit. Again, there could easily be simple, innocent explanations for this.

 

[catch_22]

The rest stop is at mile marker 474 and the first exit for Hardin City Center is 495 so approx 20 miles. Although I’m not sure where Selena lived in Hardin. I’ve traveled all over the world, sometimes alone, and I can’t imagine walking along that stretch of interstate in my wildest dreams. Obvious to me why Selena would not want to be near that highway.

I dont know. It might be a dangerous area, but i think that your odds of flagging down a passing car that doesn't contain a psycho are still pretty good. Better than freezing to death. Or at least stay with the other woman, and flag down a car. Or didnt the other woman have a phone? Someone said she did, but who knows if that is true. It just seems very odd for her to do what she alledgedly did, but people do inexplicable things all of the time. This case could easily be an innocent, sad accident. There are also a lot of odd and strange things about it as well.

 

[Dave F.]

The house on Miles Avenue was purportedly rented by the family of the man behaving aggressively toward Selena in the video shot at the Fly Creek Rest Area. This man and his two brothers lived at the house but were evicted following New Years Eve. festivities. No, I cannot provide sources

I know you are correct about who rented it, and I'll have to believe you that they were kicked out. I drove by there after it snowed, and saw no lights on but the walks were neatly cleaned and there was a brand new snow shovel leaning against the enclosed front porch. I wondered if it was the landlord getting the place ready to show to prospective renters. JMO

 

[Seattle1]

This is probably irrelevant to this case, but usually on new years day, i am hungover, and the last thing i want is more alcohol.

Also, one of the early posts in this thread said that 3 of the van occupants were from billings. This just sounded a little strange to me. I guess i just assumed that all of the van occupants were from hardin, and were returning home from a visit. Again, there could easily be simple, innocent explanations for this.

I think this follows the difficulty that investigators reported -- the information from the van passengers was inconsistent.

 

[Sillybilly]

Just jumping in to bump Tricia's post from earlier this week.

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