MMIR joins police, Indigenous groups in search for Nevaeh Kingbird
Sept. 28, 2023
Ana Negrete of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office addresses the people gathered to search for Nevaeh Kingbird. Nevaeh’s mother, Teddi Wind, stands next to her.For nearly two years, loved ones of Nevaeh Kingbird have lived with the pain of not knowing what happened to their beloved daughter, sister, niece and friend.
Nevaeh was 15 when she disappeared from a Bemidji neighborhood. A group of about 100 people came together Monday and Tuesday to see if they could find any sign of what happened to the teen, who was last seen walking outside at about 2 a.m. on Oct. 22, 2021.
The two-day search marked the first time the
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) Office put boots on the ground alongside lead law enforcement agencies, Indigenous groups, family members, volunteers and private partners to conduct a large-scale search for evidence in a case of a missing Indigenous person. After months of organization, representatives from each group sat around the table with a common goal: bringing justice and comfort to an Indigenous community dealing with an insurmountable loss.
Nevaeh Kingbird“Without the collaboration of these partners, combined with our common goal, Indigenous people in Minnesota were previously left with no answers when loved ones have gone missing," MMIR Director Juliet Rudie said. “The time to change that is now. This allyship work is more meaningful than ever before."
MMIR coordinated with the Bemidji Police Department and volunteers to bring about 100 volunteers together and search a 150-acre area in Bemidji. They split up into teams, using K-9s to help, and looked for any clue to shed light on the disappearance of Nevaeh or two other people from the area — Jeremy Jourdain, missing since 2016, and Damon Boyd, missing since 2014.
The search supplements previous work done by Bemidji police, who have conducted aerial, ground, K-9 and underwater searches for signs of Nevaeh as the lead investigative agency.
“They're out there looking for anything, they're looking for clothing, they're looking for things that might help lead us to answers," Bemidji Police Chief Mike Mastin said. “We are hoping to find new clues that will push this case forward, because our end goal is to bring Nevaeh home to her loved ones."
Nevaeh's mother, Teddi Wind, told
MPR News that the outpouring of support for the search brought her to tears.
“Every day is different. And it doesn't get easier. I try my best to just try to move on with life and keep her in my prayers and talk about her all the time and look for her," Wind said.
“There's no way I can describe how I feel. I'm just living a nightmare right now and I feel like I'm still where she left me. But at the same time, I'm doing my best to be productive by working and raising my other children."
Any potential clues, evidence or relevant items collected during the search will be taken to the Bemidji Police Department to be analyzed. As Nevaeh's family awaits any additional answers in her case, Rudie says this search demonstrates the commitment to finding her.
“Our missing Indigenous loved ones matter and are not forgotten," said Rudie. “We have to show up, and we have to keep looking until we bring them home."
