Out of Sight: Untold Stories of Indian Country

On January 20 2020, many people were pained by the news that Selena Not Afraid was found less than a mile away from the rest stop from which we vanished. Selena was mourned by her numerous loved ones, and by a greater community of people following her story. This episode isn’t about Selena’s case. Selena’s legacy is not the way she died. It’s the way she lived, and the heartbreak of such a life cut short.

A critical look at the local law enforcement involved in the search for Selena.

Megan’s Facebook Group Justice for Selena Not Afraid & Family: https://www.facebook.com/groups/554927908572751

A critical look at the local law enforcement involved in the search for Selena.

In a mysterious turn of events, Selena Not Afraid disappeared from a rest stop in rural Montana. Hundreds of people showed up to the rest stop the next day to comb the surrounding fields on foot,  ATV, and horseback. The area was also searched by helicopter and thermal drone. Selena’s family and volunteer searchers stayed at the rest stop for weeks. And then, 3 days after the search relocated from the rest stop, Selena was found less than a mile away.

In a mysterious turn of events, Selena Not Afraid disappeared from a rest stop in rural Montana. Hundreds of people showed up to the rest stop the next day to comb the surrounding fields on foot,  ATV, and horseback. The area was also searched by helicopter and thermal drone. Selena’s family and volunteer searchers stayed at the rest stop for weeks. And then, 3 days after the search relocated from the rest stop, Selena was found less than a mile away.

16-year-old Selena Not Afraid started the night of New Years Eve 2019 at home with her mom. When plans changed spontaneously, she decided to go out and see a friend.  Selena's mom had no reason to think that her daughter wouldn't make it home safely. But like far too many other Native American women and girls, Selena went out for the night and the next day was reported missing.
For more on MMIW on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2019/10/23/crow-nation-is-a-place-where-one-could-vanish-and-many-have

When 16-year-old Selena Not Afraid goes missing from a rest stop in rural Montana the community comes together to find her. Searches with helicopters, thermal drones, dogs, and hundreds of volunteers cover a 5 mile radius around the rest stop. Selena’s family and volunteer search party stay at the rest stop for weeks. When the search is eventually handed over to law enforcement and Selena’s family leaves the rest stop, Selena is found less than a mile away. Police say that Selena wandered off on the day she went missing and froze to death in the place she was found. Searchers who covered that area say that it would have been impossible to miss finding Selena in that spot. 
We may never know what happened to Selena but her death is not a mystery. Selena and so many other Native American people go missing and get murdered because the law allows it to happen. Because the system is broken and the law ain’t order.