Questions abound in deaths of two young women

Not a day goes by that the news doesn’t highlight a lost family member, a friend, a neighbor or a loved one. All of these incidents come with many unanswered questions. Was the person depressed? Was the person angry? Was there a fight that ended badly? When a person vanishes, and it happens at an alarming rate on the Reservations, you find a lot of people asking questions, and not a lot of people have answers.

One such case that was recently reported by KELO-land, regarding Cheryl Tiara Long Soldier, a young mother from Oglala. She vanished in January and a month later her body was found near the Grass Creek area, near town. The death, as such left a lot of questions, and her family had questions…but didn’t get a lot of answers. When it was finally determined she was missing, efforts switched to an official search, by the tribal authority. As it was ran, however, led to frustrations dealing with both the speed of the search, but also information not being taken seriously.

As time passed, and a reward was offered to find Long Soldier’s location, she was located a month after her vanishing. But after six months, nobody is any closer as to what happened to Tia, as she was known to friends and family…and the case is just the tip of the iceberg.

Another young adult, Jasmine Big Crow, was a mother, independent and would always check in, so people would know she was ok. Until, one day she didn’t. A cousin, Ted Burning Breast, hadn’t heard back from her, and started trying to contact her in the usual ways, calling, messing via Facebook. Nothing.

Finally some friends contacted her sister, Jewel, on March 27, 2020, concerned about her. After a search, she was found, in a valley near a housing development in Rosebud. Her uncle, was the last person to see her alive, when she started towards town, on foot. She was found, hanging on her knees, belongings scattered around, and bruises. Her sister was unable to see her sister’s body, confirmation was made through tattoos, but due to the length of time and the body being outside…so for the autopsy, Jewel wouldn’t see the results for a year. And it was ruled a suicide.

For her sister, given the case is considered closed, it doesn’t provide a lot of closure. The only one who knows what happened that day, took those answers with them.

One can only hope, going forward people will check on their friends and family. Reach out to others, make sure folks are ok, offer some help if you can. People may have a lot going on, but it doesn’t hurt to check.

(Contact Joe Budd at sales2@nativesunnews.today)

 

 

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