Reported missing, but attention still absent for missing Native Americans

Editor’s note: This story was originally published by Source New Mexico on Oct. 13, 2021, and is republished here under a Creative Commons BY-ND license.

Mary Margret Begay from Grand Canyon, Ariz., has been missing since Aug. 2, 1957. Paul Benally from Winslow, Ariz., has been missing since May 1, 1972. Gloria Ann Talley went missing out of Albuquerque on June 19, 1986 and hasn’t been heard from since. These are just a few of the forgotten missing that advocate Meskee Yatsayte is working on bringing awareness to.

Missing poster for Herman EtcittyHerman Etcitty from Gallup has been missing since 1985.  Anthonette Christine Cayedito has been missing since 1986. Danny Nelson went missing in Flagstaff in 1996. Christine Lester from Indian Well, Ariz., went missing on April 5, 1987. Betty Ann Claw went missing in 1996 in Farmington. Wade N. Benally went missing in 2000, and he was last seen in Crownpoint, N.M.

These names of the missing, some with photos and some without, along with many others are posted on flyers, booklets, and the Facebook group Navajo Nation Missing Persons Updates. Printed media and social networks are the resources Yatsaye started and has been using for a few years now to put a spotlight on these cases, whether they be cold cases or current.

When Gabby Petito was reported missing on Sept. 11, 2021, social media, mainstream media, talk shows, celebrities all went into a frenzy to bring this case to prominence. Some refer to this as “missing white woman syndrome.” Yatsayte sees it as another example of how frustratingly different missing people cases are handled when Natives are missing.

“I wish someone would hand me the mic … I’ll tell you some names you probably never heard of,” Yatsayte said. “This is shining a whole new light on what you have to mean to the world to be seen. For us to be noticed, do we have to be a public figure? Do we have to be a personal blogger? Do we have to be a personal figure on social media for people to notice our people are missing?”

Missing poster for Anthonette Christine CayeditoPetito was a 22-year-old woman driving across the country in a white van with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie. Chronicling their travels on social media sites like Instagram and Youtube, the couple had thousands of followers. Van life influencers on social media have become increasingly popular, so when Petito went missing, but her van and Laundrie were found in Florida, the entire world knew.

MISSING AND MURDERED: See all of the unsolved cases we’re covering

This coverage and fascination did not die down, it only intensified as the days continued until Petito’s body was found. It would take only a few more days for the autopsy to be done on Petito to confirm it was her remains. This quick confirmation from the autopsy astonished Yatsayte and proved to be another example of unequal treatment.

“She was reported missing Sept. 11, her body was found Sept. 19, and her autopsy was done Sept.21,” Yatsayte said. “And it was confirmed it was her. That was only a week.”

A family she keeps in contact with is still waiting for confirmation since last November on their own missing persons case, where remains were found, Yatsayte said. That isn’t just an isolated case, she added, and there are other incidents where unidentified remains found aren’t being confirmed nearly as quickly as Petito.

UNSOLVED KILLING IN REHOBOTH: Donnie Barney found stabbed to death in a hogan on Aug. 19, 2017, on Shadow Farm Road

As Peitto and Laundrie embarked on their cross-country travel in June, the Navajo Nation had been working toward locating 64-year-old Ella Mae Begay, who was reported missing June 15 in Sweetwater, N.M. On this same day, Ranelle Rose Bennett from Hogback, N.M., was last seen by her mother. Neither woman to this day has been located. Suspects or people of interest have been arrested on other charges, but not officially charged with the disappearance of either woman.

Missing poster for Betty Ann ClawBennett, a 33- year- old mother of two, barely made it into local papers.

Begay’s missing case was made known because her community and family brought attention to it, but media attention wasn’t nearly as pervasive and constant as it was with  Petito.

UNSOLVED KILLING IN NENAHNEZAD: Tyrone Tallman found in canal beaten, stabbed on July 17, 2018

“My sister, she was stolen,” said Begay’s brother, Robert Curley, during a July 22 family meeting to discuss Begay with Navajo tribal officials.  “This is the worst thing to happen. It really affected the whole nation. It’s been happening for too many years. Some of the people have never been found. Some of them give up and are looking up to our police officers, FBI and criminal investigators.”

Unlike the Petito case, the Federal Bureau of Investigation or Navajo Criminal Investigators rarely, if ever, gave updates to the public besides a short press release. The Navajo Police Department, which takes the initial report until it has to be given to these other entities, has been publicly scrutinized over the handling of Begay’s case, even if it’s no longer in their hands.

Once the case goes to Navajo CI and FBI, Navajo police aren’t given any more information than what they already found out on their own. “What we are frustrated about here on Navajo is once it’s turned over to the FBI and our investigators, there’s not much communication, or much reach out to the media, at least for our cases here,” said Navajo Police Chief Phillip Francisco. “That’s the problem because everyone comes looking at the police department for their answers, but yet it should be coming from the investigative agency … CI and Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

UNSOLVED KILLING IN RED ROCK: James Naswood found stabbed to death in red Pontiac Grand Am

Missing poster for Ranelle Rose BennettYou won’t see the FBI or CI go before a camera and give information to the public on a case on Navajo, he said.

Francisco continued to explain the efforts taken when it comes to a missing case, and they include: talking with witnesses, tracking, utilizing drones and K-9 dogs, calling on law enforcement partners to use their helicopters, getting information available from cell phone towers and looking over surveillance videos in the first few hours. They also use the Amber Alert, Missing Person Alert, and All Hazard Alert that NPD along with Navajo Emergency Management Department developed.

“It’s an all-in effort with missing people when it comes to the Navajo Nation Police Department,” Francisco said. “We do everything we can. After a while when we believe something is suspicious, then our investigators and FBI will get involved. The problem is our investigators and FBI won’t get involved unless they believe there is a homicide.”

Although Francisco describes the FBI as not informing the public on missing cases as much as the agency should, the FBI website has a page of missing Native Americans across the country. The FBI also started a Navajo-translated missing persons poster initiative.

“We always strive to release information the public needs to assist us in getting criminals off the streets, obtaining justice for victims, and keeping communities safe,” Frank Fisher, an FBI spokesperson said in an email. “The FBI does not typically investigate cases of adults reported as missing on the Navajo Nation and other areas in which we have jurisdiction unless there is a reasonable suspicion of foul play.”

There is often information that can’t be shared publicly because it could jeopardize an investigation, he continued.

Missing poster for Gloria Ann TalleyIn June 2021, when Begay and Bennett went missing, it was reported that 113 other individuals also went missing from 19 different Indigenous tribes. The numbers climb each month. By  July, there were 115 from 19 tribes, and in August there were 119 from 21 tribes. September numbers when Petito went missing haven’t been updated, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

Fisher noted that they are working alongside Navajo Nation with the Safe Trails Task Force, which shares intelligence, and provides forensic expertise and other support. But groups like these are just one of many that Francisco has to be a part of. Other groups Francisco has to be involved in are a blanket of federal and state lead groups, and separate Navajo Council and executive branch groups, all working separately to come up with a solution about missing Navajo individuals.

“Everybody is trying to fix this so they’re all coming up with their own plans,” Francisco said. “It’s hard to be a part of all these groups when they want you to be involved, and trying to develop their own procedures and protocols. Honestly, we have procedures and protocols in place already for the police department.”

But, as all these groups compete with one another for a solution, Yatsayte continues to do what she can with the Facebook site she developed after noticing people posting on Facebook groups of their missing family members. Besides posting flyers on the Navajo Nation Missing Persons Updates, she volunteers at search parties held to locate the missing, she takes her drone out on her own to search for missing people from where they were last seen. She also established Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives and Missing Persons of the 21 Pueblos Facebook pages.

Even with all that she is doing, Yatsayte said a lot more can be done when it comes to bringing awareness. She described when she saw Nancy Grace, among many other popular television programs, highlight Petito’s case, that made it even more obvious how Native missing people cases aren’t given equal weight as others, because it was over a year ago Yatsayte reached out to Grace for some help in highlighting the missing.

“I’ve reached out through social media and sent emails to Nancy Grace … I even sent her flyers of our people,” said Yatsayte. “I got no response. Because (missing Indigenous individuals) are not a public figure, they are not going to be seen. That’s where we as family members, friends and advocates reach out and try to get their loved ones seen.”

Police seek suspect in fatal Vado hit-and-run

VADO, N.M. — State Police are looking for the driver of a 1998 tan Chevrolet S-10 truck after the driver allegedly crashed into a motorcyclist, killing him, on May 14, and then fled the scene in Vado, south of Las Cruces.

A stock photo of a tan Chevy S-10 truck
State Police are looking for the driver of a 1998 Chevy S-10 truck, similar to the one pictured here.

Lt. Mark Soriano wrote in a press release the rider, Guy Hanslin, 54, of Mesquiete, died at the scene, at 10581 Los Alturas Street.

“The initial investigation shows a black 2012 Harley Davidson was traveling north on Las Alturas Street,” Soriano wrote. “The driver of a tan 1998 Chevrolet S-10 truck was traveling south on Las Alturas, and for reason unknown turned left striking the Harley Davidson head-on.”

Officers found the truck abandoned at a house in Mesquiete, but are still looking for the driver, he wrote.

Soriano wrote that anyone with information should call State Police at 575-382-2500, option 1.

Do you have information about this case? NM Homicide needs your assistance. Please fill out this form.

Roswell man killed in hit-and-run, State Police asking for help to find the culprit

ARTESIA, N.M. — State Police are asking for the public’s help to identify the person and vehicle that hit and killed a 39-year-old Roswell man on April 11, 2020 on U.S. Highway 82 outside of Artesia.

State Police officers found Jenio Berdoza, 39, had been hit by a vehicle that fled from the scene, on U.S. Highway 82, near mile post 80, State Police Officer Ray Wilson wrote in a press release.

“Berdoza was transported to Artesia General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by the Office of the Medical Investigator,” he wrote.

Berdoza, of Roswell, was walking on the side of the highway when he was hit by the vehicle, which then fled the scene, he wrote.

“If you were a witness or have any information about this crash, you are urged to call the New Mexico State Police at (575) 382-2500 option 1 and tell the dispatcher you have information related to the U.S. Highway 82 hit and run,” Wilson wrote.

See the case write-up or check for updates via the case’s tag.

Do you have information about this case? NM Homicide needs your assistance. Please fill out this form.

Continue reading “Roswell man killed in hit-and-run, State Police asking for help to find the culprit”

UNSOLVED: Jenio Berdoza — 4-11-2020

Contents
  • Suspect: UNKNOWN/UNSOLVED (hit and run)
  • Victim: Jenio Berdoza, 39
  • Charges: n/a
  • Status: Unsolved; police seeking public’s help in finding suspect
  • Date of incident: April 11, 2020
  • Type of incident: Hit and run
  • Agency: State Police
  • Location: U.S. Highway 82, near mile post 80, outside Artesia, Eddy County
  • Magistrate case number: N/A
  • District case number: N/A

Summary

State Police are asking for the public’s help to identify the person and vehicle that hit and killed a 39-year-old Roswell man on April 11, 2020 on U.S. Highway 82 outside of Artesia.

State Police officers found Jenio Berdoza, 39, had been hit by a vehicle that fled from the scene, on U.S. Highway 82, near mile post 80, State Police Officer Ray Wilson wrote in a press release.

“Berdoza was transported to Artesia General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by the Office of the Medical Investigator,” he wrote.

Berdoza, of Roswell, was walking on the side of the highway when he was hit by the vehicle, which then fled the scene, he wrote.

“If you were a witness or have any information about this crash, you are urged to call the New Mexico State Police at (575) 382-2500 option 1 and tell the dispatcher you have information related to the U.S. Highway 82 hit and run,” Wilson wrote.

Did you know Jenio Berdoza? We want to know who he was, besides the victim of an unsolved homicide. Please fill out this form or contact us.

 

San Diego man killed in hit-and-run after being released from SF County jail

SANTA FE, N.M. — State Police detectives are looking for a 2015 Ford truck, and its driver, which allegedly hit and killed 45-year-old Kevin Poirer around 10 p.m., March 27, 2020, as he walked down Highway 14, near the Santa Fe County Detention Center, which he had just been released from.

Mug shot of Kevin Poirer
Kevin Poirer

The driver of the truck, described as having front end damage and a missing mirror, allegedly fled the scene after hitting Poirer, State Police Officer and spokesman Ray Wilson wrote in a press release.

The truck hit Poirer near near mile post 43, he wrote.

Wilson spelled Poirer’s last name as “Poirier.”

Although Poirer was transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital, he died from his injuries, he wrote.

“The investigation indicates Poirier (sic) was walking south on Highway 14 and was struck by what investigators believe to be a south bound 2015 Ford Pick-up Truck,” Wilson wrote. “After striking Poirier, (sic) the truck fled the scene.  The truck will have front end damage and will be missing a mirror.”

Continue reading “San Diego man killed in hit-and-run after being released from SF County jail”

UNSOLVED: Kevin Poirer — 3-27-2020

  • Suspect: UNKNOWN/UNSOLVED (Driver, 2015 Ford truck, with a missing mirror and front-end damage)
  • Victim: Kevin Poirer
  • Charges: n/a
  • Status: Unsolved; police seeking public’s help in finding suspect
  • Date of incident: March 27, 2020
  • Type of incident: Hit and run
  • Agency: State Police
  • Location: Highway 14, outside Santa Fe County Detention Center, Santa Fe County
  • Magistrate case number: N/A
  • District case number: N/A

 

Summary

Kevin Poirer, 45, of San Diego, was allegedly killed following a hit-and-run near the Santa Fe County Detention Center, on Highway 14, on March 27, 2020, around 10 p.m. State Police are actively seeking the public’s help to find the alleged killer and his or her truck.

Contents

The hit and run

According to a press release from Officer and spokesman Ray Wilson, State Police detectives are looking for a 2015 Ford truck, and its driver, which allegedly hit and killed 45-year-old Kevin Poirer around 10 p.m., March 27, 2020, as he walked down Highway 14, near the Santa Fe County Detention Center, which he had just been released from.

Mug shot of Kevin Poirer
Kevin Poirer

The truck fled the scene after hitting Poirer. The truck is described as having front end damage and a missing mirror. The truck hit Poirer near near mile post 43, Wilson wrote.

Wilson spelled Poirer’s last name as “Poirier.”

Although Poirer was transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital, he died from his injuries, he wrote.

“The investigation indicates Poirier (sic) was walking south on Highway 14 and was struck by what investigators believe to be a south bound 2015 Ford Pick-up Truck,” Wilson wrote. “After striking Poirier, (sic) the truck fled the scene.  The truck will have front end damage and will be missing a mirror.”

According to a booking sheet from the Santa Fe County Detention Center, Poirer was booked on March 26 at 2:27 p.m. and released the following day, March 27, at 8:25 p.m., before he was hit around 10 p.m. It is not clear, from State Police, when the initial call was received.

Poirer was booked on a failure-to-appear warrant, according to the booking sheet.

According to a court docket, Poirer was initially arrested on a charge of breaking and entering on Dec. 9, 2019.

The Albuquerque Journal reports Poirer allegedly “pried open the doors to a Best Western hotel,” where police found him inside, and he told police he “just wanted to warm up.

Jail staff refused to admit him to the jail because of “severely infected” arm wounds, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

Wilson wrote that anyone with information should call State Police at (505) 841-9256, option 0, and tell the dispatcher they have “information related to the Highway 14 hit and run.”

Do you have information about this case? NM Homicide needs your assistance to tell the stories of homicide victims. Please fill out this form.

See the current case documents on Google Drive.

UNSOLVED: James Naswood — 11-8-2019

Summary

On Nov. 8, 2019, James Naswood was found dead in the front passenger seat of a red Pontiac Grand Am on Highway 602, between mile markers 19 and 20 in Red Rock, on the Navajo Nation. He had last been seen alive the previous day.

He had 30 stab wounds and cuts on his neck and chest and his wounds were clustered on the right side of his neck and on the left side of his chest, according to an autopsy report.

In July 2020, FBI agents received a search warrant for the DNA of Moses C. Jack, 57, of Red Rock, after his DNA was initially found on a beer can in the car Naswood was discovered in. As of December 2020, the FBI was still seeking information on Naswood’s killing, and offering $5,000 for information.

Jack does not appear to have ever been charged in relation to the case.

The incident

Photo of James Naswood
James Naswood

James Naswood, 48, of Red Rock, went missing from his house sometime on Nov. 7, 2019. His mother came home at 2 p.m. that day and noticed Naswood was gone, as was his red Pontiac Grand Am, Office of the Medical Investigator Field Investigator Summer Baker wrote in a deputy field investigation attached to the autopsy report.

“The red car didn’t have a battery or fuel,” Baker wrote. “So they’re unsure where he got a battery and gas.”

His mother called his daughters the following morning when he didn’t come home. The daughters drove around town, trying to find him the following day. They prepared to drive to Arizona to see if he was at the house of one of his sons but instead drove south on Highway 602, where they spotted his car, Baker wrote.

Naswood was in the passenger seat. The front windshield was broken and there was no damage to the car. A screw driver was sitting in his lap. Naswood had a bloody nose but “it’s unclear if he hit his head into the windshield,” Baker wrote.

It is unclear if the vehicle had a battery or if there was fuel in the gas tank.

Search warrant

Navajo Nation police officers and FBI agents were called to the car. They found the keys were in the ignition and a search of the southbound and northbound lanes turned up nothing of evidentiary value, FBI Agent Agent Justin Tennyson wrote in a search warrant affidavit.

Inside the car, a beer can was seized and swabs were taken from the driver’s-side interior door handle and from the gear shift, Tennyson wrote.

In June 2020, a swab from the beer can listed a hit for a man named Moses Jack, 57, who lives in Red Rock, about five miles north of where Naswood was found, Tennyson wrote.

Tennyson wrote in the search warrant affidavit that he wanted a swab from Jack to get his DNA.

“Based on my training, experience, and the facts set forth in this affidavit, I believe there is probable cause that violations of United States Co.de Title 18 §1153 – Offenses committed within Indian country and 1111 – Murder were committed by JACK,” Tennyson wrote.

Tennyson wrote that Jack had a criminal history.

“A review of JACK’s criminal history reveals several law enforcement contacts and arrests,” Tennyson wrote. “JACK has been convicted of the felonies of Driving while Under the Influence of Intoxicating Liquor. In 1987, JACK was arrested and indicted by a Federal Grand Jury in Albuquerque, New Mexico after he was alleged to have beaten a victim, B.S, year of birth 1937, with a steel pipe and hammer on the head. JACK was convicted of beating, striking, or wounding in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. l 13(d), a lesser included offense of the crime that was charged in the indictment, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.”

Online federal court records for New Mexico and Arizona show no entries for Jack, or for other permutations of his name. New Mexico state court records show he pleaded guilty in two separate cases to fourth-offense drunk driving in 2010. All state court records for criminal cases are for drunk driving. There are no arrest records for Jack in Arizona. As of December 2020, the FBI is still seeking and offering a reward for information on Naswood’s death.

Tennyson wrote that DNA evidence from Jack would “provide evidence that JACK did, within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation, commit crimes in violation of United States Code Title 18 §1153 -Offenses committed within Indian country and 1111 – Murder.”

Tennyson wrote that in 2017, a person with the initials M.J. said Jack had been waving a gun around and threatened to harm her, and also waved around a machete and said he was going to chop up her and her wife and a machete was seized at that 2017 scene. Although he was arrested on charges of threatening a family member and disorderly conduct, its unclear what court they were filed in.

“In 2018, Crownpoint, New Mexico police officers were advised of a stabbing that JACK was alleged to have committed,” Tennyson wrote. “The victim, E.J, year of birth 1963, stated that he was stabbed in the neck with a pocket knife by JACK after a fight broke out between them because JACK was always beating his daughter up, which was E.J.’ s girlfriend.”

Several other police reports detail JACK threatening to hurt and/or kill other family members and law enforcement officers. This has caused a few of JACK’s family members to obtain Orders of Protection against JACK, which are currently in effect”

Again, no court documents appear federally at all for Jack and all state criminal cases are for drunk driving.

The swab from Jack was taken at 12 p.m., Aug. 3, 2020. Court documents do not state if Jack was in custody when the swab was taken.

As of December 2020, the FBI was still seeking information on Naswood’s killing, and offering $5,000 for information.

Autopsy report

Pathologist Karen Cline-Parhamovich and Pathology Fellow Ben Murie wrote in the autopsy report that Naswood had “sharp force injuries” to his neck and chest.

They found a total of 30 stab wounds or cuts on his neck and chest, they wrote.

“The majority of injuries were clustered on the right side of the neck and incised major blood vessels of the neck and surrounding soft tissues,” they wrote. “The majority of the chest stab wounds were clustered on the left chest which penetrated the left lung without causing blood in the left chest cavity. There were no wounds of the hands, forearms, or arms.”

A toxicology report showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.25.

See the case documents on Document Cloud.

UNSOLVED: Tyrell Bellson — 9-24-2019

  • Suspect: UNKNOWN/UNSOLVED
  • Victim: Tyrell Bellson, 35
  • Date of birth: Unknown
  • Status: UNSOLVED
  • Date of incident: Between Sept. 16 and Sept. 24, 2019
  • Type of incident: Unknown
  • Investigating agency: FBI
  • Investigator: Unknown
  • Location: Near mile marker 23 on Highway 53, Zuni
  • County: McKinley
  • Reward for information: $1,000

 

Summary

Tyrell Bellson
Tyrell Bellson

Tyrell Bellson, 35, was killed sometime between Sept. 16, 2019 and Sept. 24, 2019, the day his body was found off of Highway 53 in Zuni. He had likely been dead for several days, according to a poster the FBI produced seeking information on his killing.

His body was found “near” the highway, at mile marker 20.

The FBI is offering a reward of $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for his death.

He was also known as Tyrell J. Bellson.

Did you know Tyrell Bellson? We want to know who he was, besides the victim of an unsolved homicide. Please fill out this form or contact us.

 

 

UNSOLVED: Tyrone Tallman — 7-17-2018

Summary

Tyrone Tytis Tallman
Tyrone Tallman

Tyrone Tallman’s body was found in a canal in Nenahnezad on July 17, 2018. A preliminary autopsy report showed he suffered stab wounds, broken bones and “trauma” to his skull, according to a website post by the FBI.

Tallman was wearing pants, socks with “Girls Rule” embroidered on them and shoes.

It is “believed” he was last seen alive on July 9, 2018, also where is not listed.

There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of his killer.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI at (505) 889-1300.

Did you know Tyrone Tytis Tallman? NM Homicide needs your assistance to tell the stories of homicide victims. We want to know who he was, besides the victim of an unsolved homicide. Please fill out this form or contact us.

 

UNSOLVED: Donnie Barney — 8-19-2017

  • Suspect: UNKNOWN/UNSOLVED
  • Victim: Donnie Wade Barney, 32
  • Date of birth: Oct. 25, 1984
  • Status: UNSOLVED
  • Date found: Aug. 19, 2017
  • Last seen alive: Unlisted
  • Type of incident: Stabbing
  • Victim race: Native American
  • Investigating agency: FBI
  • Investigator: Unknown
  • Location: Inside a hogan on Shadow Farm Road in Rehoboth (east of Gallup), New Mexico
  • County: McKinley
  • Tribal entity: Navajo Nation

Summary

Donnie Barney

On Aug. 19, 2017, the body of Donnie Barney was found inside a hogan on Shadow Farm Road in Rehoboth, according to a post on the FBI’s website.

“An autopsy indicated Barney died from stab wounds to his torso,” according to the post.

A hogan is a traditional Navajo dwelling built of “logs and earth,” according to the post.

Neither the post, nor a poster produced by the FBI, indicate when Barney was last seen alive.

The FBI is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the identification of his killer.

Anyone with information on his death can contact the FBI at (505) 889-1300.

Did you know Donnie Wade Barney? NM Homicide needs your assistance to tell the stories of homicide victims. We want to know who he was, besides the victim of an unsolved homicide.

Please fill out this form or contact us.