CROW AGENCY — The FBI is ramping up its efforts to tackle the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous persons in Indian Country, launching one of the most extensive national deployments of resources to address these urgent issues.
The heartbreaking reality of missing and murdered Indigenous individuals has touched families across Montana. With this increase in FBI presence, there is a renewed sense of hope for justice among the affected families.
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2021 was a year of loss for Sunny Gardner's family, with the death of brothers Nishan House and Landen Real Bird.
“It's really heartbreaking,” Gardner said on Wednesday. “We were not even healing from Nishan because it was still unsolved. And then this happened to Landon.”
Nishan, 20, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the chest just two days after going missing. Nine months later, his younger brother, Landon, 19, was shot multiple times at a party, also leaving the family without closure. They died just one mile apart on the Crow reservation.
“They're too young to die. And we can't fully grieve because no one really got justice for them,” Gardner said. "They're my sister's boys. And then, like, in Crow way, we don't have aunts or aunties. So, in Crow way, like, I'm their mother, so they'd be my boys, too."
Gardner said that Landon's alleged killer is incarcerated for the murder of an 18-year-old in Billings, but no one has been charged in connection with either brother's case. Nishan's death was ruled a suicide, but Gardner said he was shot in the heart and there was not a gun near his body.
Despite the lack of charges, Gardner remains hopeful for justice with the additional FBI personnel.
“Maybe we will get justice and things will turn around, not only for this case, but for other cases,” she said. "I know so many cases, especially on the Crow Reservation that go unsolved. People are still missing."
Charlene Sleeper, the founder of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Billings advocacy group, shared Gardner’s hope.
“I was happy to see that they're continuing the work as far as keeping FBI presence in Indian Country, investigating crimes in Indian Country,” Sleeper said. "It gives me a lot of hope that a lot of the work that we've been working on with both administrations, both the Biden and the Trump administration, that we'll continue seeing progress."
In Montana in 2023, there were 2,263 missing persons reports, of which 693 were Indigenous individuals.
"When it comes to Indian Country in terms of homicides and missing persons, those fall under the jurisdiction of the FBI because of the way that the law of the land is in Indian Country," Sleeper said. "I think overall in America, there is a mistrust of law enforcement just in general. When it comes to Indian Country, one of the things that we've been advocating for is improved safety."
The additional resources will be at different field offices across the U.S., including the Salt Lake City Division, which covers Montana. This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten and the largest. The FBI will send 60 personnel, who will rotate in 90-day temporary assignments over a six-month period. This comes as the FBI currently handles approximately 4,300 open cases in Indian Country nationwide.
"This particular operation, it's going to be homicides, missing persons, and crimes against children," Sleeper said.
The increased federal engagement provides hope to families such as Gardner's, who just want answers and justice for their loved ones.
“In Crow, you're not supposed to say their names (after death), but I feel that because they haven't gotten justice, they haven't really rested,” Gardner said. "Landon was really like a loud person. Like he was like the protector. Nishan was a quiet teddy bear, but he was a comedian and they were just total opposite, but they were so close."
