Pernell Tewangonitewa was 21 when he vanished from Farmington, New Mexico, on the night of May 29, 1998. A cosmetology student of Navajo and Hopi descent who lived in Bloomfield with his sister, he spent his final known hours at Gators Bar and Grill and was last seen leaving the parking lot alone about 1:30 a.m. driving his sister’s silver Subaru hatchback. He was expected to follow his sister home but never arrived.

Weeks passed with no sign of Pernell or the vehicle. On June 18, 1998, the Subaru was found completely burned in remote Choke Cherry Canyon, about five miles northwest of Farmington; the fire was later determined to be arson. Pernell himself was never found, and law enforcement treats the case as a homicide. The family says their early missing-person report met resistance from the Farmington Police Department, and they say the car was sent to a salvage yard without being fully processed for forensic evidence. Investigators at one point explored a possible connection to Robert Bobby Fry, but no definitive link or charges in this case were made.

If anyone knew Pernell, saw him the night of May 29, 1998, or has information about the Subaru or activities around Choke Cherry Canyon, please share what is known.