MISSOULA — A 16-year-old Hardin girl was reported missing on New Year’s Day.
Selena Not Afraid's body was found in a field in Big Horn County 20 days later.
The community mourned her loss at a candlelight vigil held at the University of Montana on Wednesday.
Over 100 people crowded together, holding candles, listening to stories about Selena, and remembering a life lost too soon.
"Really heart wrenching to hear the news of a beautiful, intelligent, smart, outgoing...had her whole life to flourish," Lauren Small Rodriguez said, the Missoula Urban Indian Health Center Community organizer.
Selena was a member of Crow Nation and a student at Hardin High School. At the vigil, a fellow member of her tribe recalled Selena’s passion for horse riding, and the love she had for her family.
The group reflected on Selena and the countless other Indigenous people that have gone missing.
Organizer Lauren Small Rodriguez says this isn’t an indigenous crisis, it’s a humanity crisis.
"It really hurts a person to see our young people really at the hands of injustice," she told MTN News.
Big Horn County Attorney Jay Harris has called Selena’s case a criminal investigation.
