- 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
Tunica-Biloxi Council Member Named to Tribal Leadership Foundation
Ethics Complaint Alleges Former Navajo Nation Chief of Staff Accepted Gifts From Contractor
Monday Morning (December 14, 2025): Articles You May Have Missed This Past Weekend
Help us defend tribal sovereignty.
At Native News Online, our mission is rooted in telling the stories that strengthen sovereignty and uplift Indigenous voices — not just at year’s end, but every single day.
Because of your generosity last year, we were able to keep our reporters on the ground in tribal communities, at national gatherings and in the halls of Congress — covering the issues that matter most to Indian Country: sovereignty, culture, education, health and economic opportunity.
That support sustained us through a tough year in 2025. Now, as we look to the year ahead, we need your help right now to ensure warrior journalism remains strong — reporting that defends tribal sovereignty, amplifies Native truth, and holds power accountable.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Your support keeps Native voices heard, Native stories told and Native sovereignty defended.
Stand with Warrior Journalism today.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher

