HARDIN — Nearly five years since Kaysera Stops Pretty Places was found in a backyard in Hardin, after what seemed like the end of a brutal and suspicious death, the family held a vigil Friday afternoon to receive the only part of her body left — her jawbone.
For Geralyn Ruth Bulltail Stops Pretty Places, Kaysera's mother, these last five years have been exhausting and frustrating.
"Now I have to rebury my daughter again. One time is enough," she says.
Back in August of 2019, Kaysera was found in a Hardin backyard on the corner of Range View Avenue and Mitchell.
The 18-year-olds body was completely unrecognizable. Authorities believe she'd been there for five days.
Kaysera had a blood alcohol content of .149 at the time of her autopsy. Her death was ruled as suspicious, and the cause of death was marked undetermined.
"We always knew where Kaysera was. She would tell us where she was. She would at least let her friends know," says Isabella Oldelk, one of Kaysera's best friends.
Kaysera's family also believes the Big Horn Sheriff's Department has done little to investigate the case, a claim backed up by former Big Horn County Attorney, Jay Harris, who issued a public report in August of 2021 alleging that the Sheriff's office didn't conduct a significant investigation until two months later.
Then, his office established a Missing and Murdered Persons Task Force to address all suspicious deaths in Big Horn County.
Kaysera was one of 27 Indigenous women who went missing around August of 2019.
That section of the autopsy report has been attached below.
But, family says little has still been done.
Oldelk is one of many pushing for more detective work.
"I know that if it was vise versa, and I was the one, I know she would be there," says Oldelk.
Kaysera was cremated in 2019, but on Thursday her family dug up her remains after receiving an unnerving call from the Sheriff's office.
"[Kaysera's aunt] told me 'They still have Kaysera's jaw bone.' I was like 'What?!" says Geralyn Ruth.
The family isn't sure why authorities held on to Kaysera's jawbone, but are now hoping that she can finally lay to rest, peacefully and receive justice.
"[The coroner] made me cremate her. Now, I have to put her bones to rest, that he didn't even tell me was there," said Geralyn.
Kaysera's family is still accepting donations on their GoFundMe and has created a petition for her.
Harris' 2019 report on her autopsy can be found below.
Big Horn County Attorney P.O. Box 908Hardin, Montana 59034 (406) 665-9720 Aequitas et VeritasPUBLIC REPORTINVESTIGATION INTO AUGUST 2019 DEATH OF KAYSERA STOPSATPRETTYPLACESAugust 13, 2021MI. Autopsy Report
A postmortem examination was conducted on Stopsatprettyplaces at 9:00 a.m. on August 30, 2019. The following si an excerpt from the Postmortem Examination Report, which was endorsed by four State of Montana medical examiners and issued on December 6, 2019:
Autopsy revealed no evidence of injury or natural disease. Toxicology testing of blood detected the presence of ethanol. Although no neck injuries were detected at autopsy, an asphyxia cause of death cannot be excluded. At this time, the cause and manner of death are classified as undetermined. Cause and manner of death may be reclassified in the future if additional information becomes available.
Toxicology screening indicated Stopsatprettyplaces had a 0.149 blood ethanol concentration at the time of her discovery on August 29, 2019.
