Keisha Kootswatewa Missing Person Case

Apr 08, 2022

Mar 18, 2024

Keisha

Kootswatewa

36

32

66 inches

200 lbs

American Indian / Alaska Native

Female

In the spring of 2022, a 32-year-old Hopi-Tewa woman named Keisha Lene Kootswatewa vanished from the Tees Toh area on the Navajo Nation in Arizona. A dedicated mother of three, Keisha was known for her artistic talents, spending countless hours sewing and beading intricate regalia for her daughters to wear on the powwow circuit. In the year leading up to her disappearance, she had been navigating a difficult period of her life, experiencing depression after separating from the father of her children and falling in with a new group of people. While her family had grown accustomed to not hearing from her every day, she would typically check in every couple of weeks. However, in late March, all communication ceased, sparking deep concern among her loved ones when a friend reached out asking if anyone had seen or heard from her. The circumstances surrounding Keisha's disappearance were alarming and complex. She was last seen around March 22, 2022, and was connected to a chaotic house party in Teesto that reportedly ended in violence. Community members and witnesses later recounted that two men, Damien Niedo and Micheaux-Michael Begaii, were shot and killed during the gathering. It was alleged that Keisha was taken from the scene alive at gunpoint. Her family, thrust into a nightmare of uncertainty, faced challenges in getting law enforcement to take action, initially being shuffled between tribal police departments before a report was reluctantly taken. Keisha's cousin, Yolanda Bydonie, became a relentless advocate, organizing search parties, distributing flyers, and going door-to-door to piece together what happened. The investigation was eventually turned over to the FBI due to the gravity of the allegations. For years, the family held onto the hope that Keisha might still be alive, while simultaneously fearing the worst. Their search came to a heartbreaking end in October 2024, when three partial skeletons were discovered by people gathering wood in the Na Ah Tee canyon area near Dilkon. A year later, in October 2025, DNA testing confirmed the remains belonged to Keisha Kootswatewa, Damien Niedo, and Micheaux Begaii. This tragic discovery shifted the focus of the case from a search to a pursuit of justice. A federal grand jury indicted five individuals—Ryan Adelbert Johnson, Alexandra Johnson, Charles Lyle Truax, Mike Duffy III, and Sherry Duffy—on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping resulting in death, and other offenses related to the events of that fatal night. The case of Keisha Kootswatewa highlights the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, underscoring the jurisdictional challenges and emotional toll families endure while fighting for answers and justice for their loved ones.

Mar 22, 2022

Tees Toh

Arizona

Navajo County

Yes

113515

Hopi Tribal Resource Enforcement Services

Kykotsmovi Village

Arizona

Navajo County

86039

123 Main Street, Arizona

9287343000

Tribal

Law Enforcement

2204-0058

2022-04-02

Hopi Tribal Resource Enforcement Services

na

Brown

Brown

Brown

07/30/2026