Freda Jane Knowshisgun was 34 when she was last heard from on October 18, 2016, in Kennewick, Washington. A mother of three and an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe of Montana, she had gone to a Walmart to pick up a money transfer arranged by a friend so she could travel the roughly 740 miles back to Crow Agency in time for Halloween. During that first call she told the friend she would wait at the customer service counter; that was the last confirmed contact.

About fifteen minutes after their initial conversation the friend called back to say the transfer was complete but Freda’s phone was already no longer in service. The transfer was never collected. Family concern mounted when Freda missed her aunt’s funeral in November and her mother reported her missing on November 14, 2016. Relatives described recent changes in Freda’s life, including more time in Billings, a new social circle and struggles with substance abuse; some people she associated with were reportedly uncooperative with investigators.

There were unconfirmed sightings in Hardin and Billings months after she vanished. Jurisdictional confusion among tribal, state and federal agencies hampered early work; the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit are now involved. Does anyone who knew Freda or saw her in October 2016 have information that could help locate her?