
- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the recovery of 13-year-old Sa’Wade Birdinground, who has been missing since October 6, 2024. She was last seen at her family’s home in Garryowen, Montana, and has had no known contact with family or friends since that time.
Sa’Wade is described as 5’4” to 5’5” tall, weighing between 130 and 140 pounds, with brown eyes and brown, curly hair.
At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a black hoodie with mushrooms on it, an anime T-shirt, basketball shorts, and purple slip-on Skechers. She may also be carrying a black and purple Adidas backpack and is known to wear an elk tooth necklace.
“Eight months is an incomprehensible amount of time for a family to be without their child,” FBI Salt Lake City Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed said. “The FBI is fully committed to finding Sa’Wade and bringing her home. No tip is too small or insignificant.”
The investigation is being conducted jointly by the FBI, Crow BIA Law Enforcement, and the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office.
This case is part of a broader effort by the FBI and its partners to address missing persons cases in Indian Country. Initiatives such as Operation Not Forgotten, launched in 2023, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Murdered and Missing Unit are focused on expanding federal resources for these investigations. As part of Operation Not Forgotten, the FBI has doubled the number of special agents working Indian Country cases out of its Billings Resident Agency.
Anyone with information about Sa’Wade Birdinground’s whereabouts is urged to visit tips.fbi.gov or contact the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office at (801) 579-6195.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Native News Weekly (June 29, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Fire Officials Provide Update on Oak Ridge Fire; Nearly 1,800 Acres Burned, No Containment Yet
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher