Selena Not Afraid
Selena Shelley Faye Not Afraid was born on June 8, 2003 to Jackie Big Hair and Leroy Not Afraid.[1] They lived in Big Horn County, Montana on the Crow Reservation. They were of Indigenous decent.[1] She had 5 siblings. Some of her hobbies included volleyball, basketball, bead work and sewing and horseback riding. In 2014, Selena's twin sister, Zoe, committed suicide. Later in 2017, Selena's brother, Preston David Bell was fatally shot by a Billings police officer at the age of 23. In the same year, Selena's sister Tristen Grey was involved in a hit and run and died.
Disappearance[edit]
Selena and her friends celebrated New Years Eve by attending a party on Montana Avenue in Billings. There was alcohol at the party and she and her friends were drinking underage. After staying the night at the house the party was thrown in, Selena and five others, got in a car and headed back to Billings on New Year's Day.[2] At one point, the car broke down so they pulled into a rest stop between Hardin and Billings at 2 P.M on 1-90. This is the last time Selena was seen alive. The driver of the van told Selena and her friends to wait at the rest stop until his mom came to pick them up because according to him, the car was only temporarily fixed and that it wouldn't be long until it broke down again.[2] Around ten minutes later, the driver's mom showed up and couldn't find Selena or her friend Arlana. After looking around the area, she found Arlana sitting in a ditch nearby the rest stop. Arlana did not have Selena with her and claimed to have no recollection of how she got there or where she was. She had scratches all over her body and her shoes were missing. After Selena's family heard the news, they called the police.
Investigation and Search[edit]
In a police interview, a witness claimed to have seen Selena run off into a field by the rest stop. Crews with the Department of the Interior, BLM, FBI, tribal and Bighorn County Sheriff's Department searched the field with dogs, horses, ATV's, helicopters and drones.[2][3] The Crow Tribe police, Billings police, and Montana Highway Patrol were also involved in the search. Police have searched the van in which Selena and her friends drove from the party to the rest stop in but have not disclosed whether or not anything was found. 20 days after she went missing, Selena's body was found around three-quarters of a mile into the field in which the witness claimed she ran into.[4] Many people in the community slammed investigators and police for not being thorough with the search and have questioned how they could have missed the body with so many resources and in such close proximity to where she was last seen. Autopsy reports showed that the death was caused by hypothermia and was ruled accidental.[5] [6]Police also concluded that foul play was not suspected because there were no foot prints or tire tracks near the area.[4] She also did not have any wounds or injuries indicating any foul play.[5] The case is still open and the state's DCI is reviewing it.[6] Selena's funeral was held on January 26, 2020 at 11 AM. She was buried at the Fairview Cemetery in Hardin.
Theories[edit]
Many people close to Selena have said that the story doesn't make sense and that it was very strange. People have brought up the idea that Selena and her friend were intoxicated because there was alcohol in the van. It is also speculated that they were given some type of drug. Her toxicology reports are still pending. During the search for her body, police found a green Subaru Forester with Wyoming plates in the parking lot of the rest stop at the time she went missing. Many people have theorized that the person driving that car tried to abduct her and Selena ran into the fields in an act of self protection. It is also very possible for there to have been an altercation in the van due to the fact that there was a Snapchat story posted by Arlana which showed two men who rode with them fighting in the backseat of the van. There have also been unconfirmed reports that the two men Arlana and Selena were riding with have moved out of state and that Arlana has deleted her Facebook page which caused some speculation of their involvement with the death.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Community comes together to search for Selena Shelley Faye Not Afraid missing from Montana rest area since New Year's Day". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sukut, Juliana. "Selena Not Afraid's death still under investigation; autopsy scheduled". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- ↑ Lam, Kristin. "Montana girl Selena Not Afraid, 16, has been missing since New Year's Day. The FBI is asking for help to find her". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sukut, Phoebe Tollefson, Juliana. "Body of Selena Not Afraid found within mile of rest stop where she was last seen". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sukut, Juliana. "Selena Not Afraid died from hypothermia, autopsy shows". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Gazette, Billings. "Selena Not Afraid's death ruled accidental". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
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