***It’s 2023 Call to Action Week for MMIW and we need your support in seeking justice for our stolen EBCI sister - Marie Walkingstick Pheasant***

Please join us in writing a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigations calling for further investigation into Marie Walkingstick Pheasant's death. Below you will find a prompt you can use and the address to send the letter to.

Federal Bureau of Investigations 
151 Patton Avenue, Suite # 211
Asheville, NC 28801

 To the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 

I am writing today to demand justice for Marie Walkingstick Pheasant. On December 31st, 2013 the remains found inside of a vehicle found burning in the Big Cove Community of the Cherokee Boundary were identified as Marie Walkingstick Pheasant.  The Cherokee Indian Police Department (CIPD) initiated the investigation into Marie’s death identifying that foul play was a factor. Shortly after Marie’s body was found the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) became involved in the case. Despite the fact that the Supreme Court and Congress have tangled a web of confusion regarding jurisdiction in Indian Country, it does not justify the lack of concern for a native woman’s murder. 

Marie’s loved ones provided relevant background information to the FBI about her personal relationships and are adamant that someone in their own community may be responsible for her death. However, her case remains unsolved. Marie’s murder was a violent act and the person responsible for committing this heinous crime deserves to face justice. 

Marie is more than just a headline that reads “body found in burning vehicle” and more than just the obituary that reads of her loved ones who she left behind. She was a loving mother, a sister and daughter, a cousin to many, someone with a great native sense of humor and someone who loved wholeheartedly. Marie was and is our EBCI sister and she deserves justice. 

When a tribal citizen living on a reservation is murdered, the FBI has a duty and responsibility to properly investigate. Now, 10 years after Marie was murdered her case lies idly in the hands of the FBI. I respectfully demand that you take her murder seriously and investigate Marie’s case with the proper resources and attention it deserves.

Respectfully, 

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