Episodes

In January 2021, EBCI-enrolled members 29-year-old Jessica Calhoun and her five-year-old daughter Ah-Yo-Ka of Cherokee, NC, died tragically less than a mile from their home in a car accident that has since been determined intentional. With their killer behind bars, her family desperately awaits a trial and sentencing, and justice for Jessica and her sweet baby girl. Sources: http://www.thesylvaherald.com/top_stories/article_90cec328-003f-11ec-8ea7-bfb4b6777c88.html https://theonefeather.com/20...

Ella Mae Begay disappeared from her home in the Navajo Nation near the Arizona-New Mexico border on June 15, 2021. According to the FBI’s web page on Begay, Begay’s truck — a gray or silver Ford F-150 — was seen leaving her property in Sweetwater, Arizona, the morning of her disappearance and has not been seen since. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Ella Mae Begay, please call the Navajo Police Department Shiprock District at (505) 368-1350 or (505) 368-1351. Please fol...

In June 2018, Jermain Austin Charlo, an enrolled with the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation in Montana, was 23 years old when she vanished one night in June 2018. Even with years of documented domestic abuse, her case remains unsolved, and she is still missing. Anyone else who has seen Charlo is asked to contact the Missoula Police Detective Mitch Lang at (406) 552-6300 or Flathead Tribal Police Officer Orcino Walker at (406) 675-4700. Sources: https://www.krtv...

On April 3rd, 2023, the body of Linda Mary Beardy, a 33-year-old mother from Lake St Martin First Nation, was spotted by staff at the Brady landfill in Winnipeg, Canada. The investigation is ongoing, and we’ll follow her case as more information becomes available. Winnipeg Police are asking the public to call the homicide unit at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 if they have any information that could assist with the investigation. Sources: Horror in Winnipeg as another Indigeno...

Ricarda Tillman-Lockett was born on the Winnebago Indian Reservation and was a member of the Winnebago Indian Tribe of Nebraska when, at 18, she left Sioux City, Iowa, for the big city. Four years later, in February 2007, she would leave work one day and never be heard from again. While her family believes they know who might have the answers to her disappearance, the police do not have enough evidence to arrest anyone. At the time of her disappearance, Ricarda Tillman-Lockett was 5’2 and weigh...

In 1986, nine-year-old Anthonette Cayedito vanished from her home in Gallup, New Mexico, in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again. Over the years, a startling 911 call and a possible sighting of Anthonette have added to the mystery of her disappearance and given more questions than answers. Anyone with information regarding Anthonette’s case is urged to call the Gallup Police Department at (505) 863-9365. Sources: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/cold-case-spotlight/31-years-ag...

In August 2012, after checking out of rehab, 28-year-old Heather Cameron received a ride from an ex-boyfriend and was never heard from again. A member of the Grand Ronde Tribe, she had moved to Northern California years before starting a new with extended family. Heather has brown hair and brown eyes. She may use her maiden name, Haller; some agencies call her Heather Cameron-Haller. She has a tribal tattoo of flowers on her back, a tattoo of a girl on her left calf, and an unfinished tattoo on ...

In January 2006, the body of 18-year-old Tamara Susan Seay was discovered in the woods of the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. An enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, she was known by her friends as “Tammie.” To this day, her brutal murder weighs heavy in the hearts of those who knew her. Sources: http://www.thesylvaherald.com/news/article_92161c87-adb4-52fe-ba39-7010e5eebeb1.html Support the show

In the 1980s and 1990s, at least 14 Indigenous women were murdered in cases that remain unsolved or died under mysterious circumstances on the Yakima reservation in Washington. Daisy Mae Heath was 29 years old when she went missing in August 1987. Her remains would be identified more than 30 years later, this discovery leaving her family with more questions than answers. Sources: www.yakimaherald.comFamily gathers to remember Daisy Mae Heath, who was reported ... Yak-Tri Newshttps://www.yaktri...

In 1979, Keara Lee Coshow’s death has remained one of Iowa’s most tragic cold cases. She has endured more abuse, trauma, and neglect in her three short years on earth than most people would in a lifetime. If you have any information about 3-year-old Keara Lee Coshow’s unsolved murder, please contact Special Agent in Charge Michael Motsinger, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, at (515) 725-6010 or the State Fire Marshal Division at (515) 725-6145. Sources: https://iowacoldcases.org/case-...

Cheyenne Toineeta, a 30-year-old member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, died under mysterious circumstances in December 2015. Her case remains unsolved. The Cherokee Indian Police Department is offering a $20,000 reward to anyone with information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information, please contact Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463 and can remain anonymous. Sources: https://www.newschannel5.com/news/cherokee-police-20-000-reward-for-info-about-2015-murder-of-cheyenne-toineeta?...

Tanya Begay, a 36-year-old Navajo woman, vanished in March of 2017 in Tohatchi, New Mexico, when she was last seen with her then-boyfriend Jason Alan Thornburg, also known as the Tarrant County Serial killer. To this day, no one has been charged in her disappearance. Tanya is 5’5, 135 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes; she has a scar above her left eyebrow and a small scar under her left eye. She has pierced ears, a rose tattoo on each breast, a feather on her foot, and a musical note behi...

In September 2009, 17-year-old Stacy Hill vanished on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota, only for her remains to be discovered a month later with no clues as to what happened. Now, 13 years later, very little information has been released about her death, and her family is still searching for answers. If you have information about what happened to Stacy Hill, contact the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit via text (847411), phone (833-560-2065), or email (OJS_MMU@bia....

In 1978, the body of 20-year-old Iris Whistling Elk was discovered in a ditch just outside the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana. Her death ruled an accident, and her family believes she was murdered. Forty-four years later, her case remains unsolved, and her family is still seeking answers. If you have any information regarding the death of Iris Whistling Elk, you are encouraged to contact the Rosebud County Sheriff at 406-346-2715. Sources: Cheyenne woman's death a mystery after 28 y...

Janice Hannigan was only 16 when she mysteriously vanished on Christmas Eve in 1971. Born on the Yakama Indian Reservation in Washington, Janice's case is the state's oldest reported MMIW cold case. For links to information found for this episode: Janice Hannigan | International Missing Persons Wiki | Fandom Yakama Indian Reservation - Wikipedia Yakama Reservation's 40+ missing person cases could be solved by forming WA cold case unit (yaktrinews.com) Missing: Janice Hannigan - The CrimeWire...

Maggie talks with us, in the last mini this week, about the inequity of media coverage when it comes to MMIW and questions what makes the media decide whose story is worth sharing. Nancy Grace Analoak Freda Knowshisgun Ashley Loring Heavyrunner Kacy Michelle Ross Elsie Little Light Their stories matter too. Sources: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anchorage/2018/10/30/she-went-from-an-anchorage-hospital-to-jail-four-days-later-she-was-found-dead/ https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/topics/the_v...

Mildred Alexis Old Crow was just six years old when she was reported missing in November 2020 on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. Her body would be discovered a few months later, and yet the question remains unanswered…what happened to Milly? Sources: https://people.com/crime/girl-8-went-missing-in-2019-and-her-body-was-just-found-months-after-arrests-of-2-women/ https://flatheadbeacon.com/2021/05/28/two-named-as-suspects-in-girls-death-on-crow-reservation/ https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1...

Today's mini takes us to Canada and covers the ongoing case of an alleged serial killer in Winnipeg who spent the earlier part of 2022 targeting Indigenous women. As we still await more details regarding this case, we wanted to make sure that anyone listening is aware, and the police have refused to search for two of the bodies even though they know where they are. Sources: https://winnipeg.citynews.ca/2022/06/21/remains-brady-landfill-rebecca-contois/ https://canadatoday.news/mb/winnipeg-poli...

Join us for a special episode as we discuss the tragic life story of Matoaka, a young woman known to the world as Pocahontas. Sources: https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2007/07/pocahontas-saves-john-smith.html https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/pocahontas-first-marriage-powhatan-side-story https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werowocomoco https://www.history.com/.amp/topics/native-american-history/pocahontas https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powhatan https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahon...

In August 2003, 19-year-old Sonya Ivanoff left home with her best friend in Nome, Alaska, for a night out of fun. Two days later, her lifeless body would be discovered, and the following investigation would uncover the shocking details that led to her murder. Sources: https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/watch-dateline-episode-walk-rain-now-n1299940 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-walk-in-the-rain/id1464919521?i=1000582946255 https://thecinemaholic.com/sonya-ivanoff-murder-how-did-she-di...

Rita Papakee is one of the first instances of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) experienced by the Meskwaki Nation, also known as the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa. She was 41 years old when she vanished in January 2015 after leaving the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel in Tama, Iowa, and she has not been seen or heard from since. Rita Papakee is 5-foot-3, weighing between 170 and 200 pounds. She has long brown hair and brown eyes. If you know where Rita J. Papakee might b...

Thank you again to Western Carolina University and the Bardo Arts Center for inviting us to record on location at their beautiful MMIW exhibit, and thank you to everyone who came to see us! It was truly a great way to celebrate the one year anniversary of our podcast! However, we always say this podcast isn’t about us. It’s about our stolen sisters, it’s about these beautiful Indigenous women whose lives were taken too soon, and our live recording was no different. This special episode focuses...

In August 2022, a weekend altercation at a bar in Montana escalated into the death of 28-year-old Whisper Sellars. While this case is still ongoing, with multiple conflicting witness testimonies and a self-defense plea, Whisper’s family is worried that she may not get the justice she deserves. For links to information found for this episode: https://apnews.com/article/shootings-homicide-montana-kalispell-government-and-politics-00297de377babb2979a146009f7fe919 https://www.montanarightnow.com/n...

Vanessa Yvette Niko, 35, was a member of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Tribe in Upper Lake, California. She had a tumultuous on-off relationship with the father of three of her children, Willy Tujays Timmons, 37. On June 30th, 2017, her life was tragically taken away by someone who was supposed to love her. Domestic violence can happen to anyone. Free, confidential support services dedicated to serving Native American and Alaska Native survivors and concerned family members and friends aff...