The remains of a woman found dead in a reserve south -west of southern Dakota in January have been identified as Michelle Elbow Shield, a woman Sioux who disappeared more than a year ago.
The body of the Shield elbow was discovered in the Pine Ridge Reserve of the State in January, according to the Forensics Laboratory, which helped resolve its case and the Indian Affairs Office. Pine Ridge’s Sioux Woman disappeared in September 2023 and BIA created a profile For the elbow coat of arms in the wake of its disappearance.
Its image appeared in a section of the federal website dedicated to missing indigenous people, which says that the elbow Shield was last seen in Rapid City, about 100 kilometers from the reservation.
Rapid City Police Department researchers recovered the remains of a woman in January, but could not be identified immediately, said Othram Lab Othram, Inc. Start -up of news. The city’s fast police associated with the missing and murdered unit of the BIA to determine if the advanced DNA tests, to which Othram performs Help police agencies Around the United States with unresolved cases, they would drive somewhere.
The laboratory said that its scientists were able to locate a potential relative of the elbow shield through a analysis technique called sequencing of the forensic degree genome, where DNA profiles are built from a sample of a sample. evidence of the crime scene. According to Othram, a direct DNA sample provided by The Relative allowed researchers to confirm biological coincidence and confirm the identity of the Shield elbow.
An investigation into the disappearance and death of the elbow shield is in progress.
“Thousands of hours have been invested in Michelle’s disappearing investigation and we hope this recent news can offer a little closing for loved ones,” said Rapid City police chief after confirming after confirming —The identity, the CBS News subsidiary Kelo-tv reported.
“We are committed to fully investigating the circumstances that surround its disappearance through collaboration with the public security agencies involved in defending justice in the case,” said the police chief. “The recent pause of this research was due to the information shared by the public and we intend to use all the combined resources available in order to solve this case in a resolution.”
The frequency with which indigenous women are missing or murdering It’s a crisis in the United Stateswhere native American women are disproportionately oriented In murders, sexual assault and other acts of violence, both in reserves and in nearby cities.
According to 2016, there were more than 5,700 reports of women and girls missing in 2016 Anti-sexual organization Assault Rainnwhich cites statistics from the National Crime Information Center. The BIA most recently estimated that approximately 4,200 cases of disappeared indigenous and murders remain unresolved.