Timothy Bull Bear Sr., a 47-year-old Native American man, was one of at least eight men found dead in or near Rapid Creek in Rapid City, South Dakota, between May 1998 and July 1999. Authorities attributed these deaths, including Bull Bear’s, to accidental drowning and noted high blood-alcohol levels in many cases. The Rapid City Police Department and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office investigated, and the FBI reviewed the cases; official conclusions found no evidence of foul play.

Many members of Rapid City’s Native American community rejected the official findings, expressing disbelief that so many men from their community would accidentally drown in a shallow creek in such a short span of time. Fears of racially motivated violence circulated, community patrols formed along the creek, and no arrests were made in connection with Bull Bear’s death or the related deaths. The families were left without legal closure and the cases grew cold.