Philbert Shorty Missing Person Case

Feb 12, 2021

Nov 07, 2022

Philbert

Shorty

49

44

68 inches

72 inches

150 lbs

180 lbs

American Indian / Alaska Native

Male

On a Thursday afternoon, January 28, 2021, 44-year-old Philbert Leo Shorty, known affectionately as Phil, told his aunt he was leaving her home in Fort Defiance, Arizona. It was between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. when he set out in his blue 2005 PT Cruiser, with plans to travel to Navajo, New Mexico, and possibly onward to Tsaile, Arizona. He was wearing a black Carhartt jacket, light blue pants, and brown steel-toed boots. This was the last time his family would see him. Three days later, on January 31, his PT Cruiser was discovered abandoned, stuck in the mud along Navajo Route 12 near Tsaile. The discovery of the empty vehicle, with no sign of Philbert, marked the beginning of a long and agonizing search for answers. For two years, Philbert's family held onto hope, undertaking an exhaustive search for their missing loved one. His uncle, Ben Shorty, recalled that the family knew from the beginning that something was wrong. They organized search parties, hiking through the remote and rugged canyons of the Navajo Nation. They put out pleas on the radio and posted across social media, desperate for any clue that might lead them to Philbert. All their efforts, however, yielded nothing, and the family remained in the dark about his fate. They had no way of knowing that their search was in vain, as Philbert had been the victim of a violent act just a day after he went missing, long before he was even officially reported as a missing person. The heartbreaking truth of Philbert's disappearance came to light through a separate and grim investigation. A man named Shiloh Aaron Oldrock confessed to authorities that he and his uncle, Erwin Beach, had killed Philbert Shorty on January 29, 2021, the day after he was last seen. Oldrock stated that following a night of heavy drinking, an argument broke out which ended in Philbert's death. In a horrific attempt to conceal the crime, Oldrock and his uncle dismembered and burned Philbert's body. In 2023, Oldrock entered into a plea deal, admitting guilt for voluntary manslaughter in Philbert's death and was subsequently sentenced to 35 years in prison. The case of Philbert Shorty is a tragic story that began as a missing person report and concluded with a homicide conviction. The dedicated search by his family highlights the profound uncertainty and pain that surrounds cases of missing Indigenous people. While a perpetrator was brought to justice and confessed to the crime, the resolution remains incomplete for his loved ones. Philbert's body has never been found, leaving his family without the closure of laying him to rest. The investigation revealed a brutal end to his life, and though legal proceedings have concluded, the family continues to grapple with the devastating loss and the harrowing details of his final moments.

Jan 28, 2021

Fort Defiance

Arizona

Apache County

Yes

99911

Navajo Nation Police Department - Window Rock District

Window Rock

Arizona

Apache County

86515

North 12 & Window Rock Boulevard, Arizona

9288716983

Tribal

Law Enforcement

01-21-003632

2021-02-02

Navajo Nation Police Department - Window Rock District

6075

Black

Black

Black

No

07/21/2026