WEDNESDAY THE SHERIDAN January 29, 2020 PETERSON 134th Year, No. 223 LEADS BY Serving Sheridan County, EXAMPLE Wyoming, since 1887 ON YOUNG www.thesheridanpress.com TEAM www.DestinationSheridan.com SPORTS • B1 75 Cents Press Selena Not Afraid investigation continues CONTENT WARNING: This article includes detailed information about autopsy procedures and the disappearance and death of a teenage girl. BY ALLAYANA DARROW [email protected] HARDIN — Big Horn County on Tuesday official- ly requested the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation perform an inde- pendent analysis of its inves- tigation regarding Selena Not Afraid’s disappearance and death. What began as a miss- ing person’s case has morphed into an ongoing investigation since Not Afraid’s body was found last week. The 16-year- old was found within 1 mile of where she was last seen at a rest stop near Hardin after a ALLAYANA DARROW | THE SHERIDAN PRESS 20-day search. Big Horn County Undersherif Eric Winburn tapes a map of the search for Selena Not Afraid to the wall in Big Horn County Sheriff his ofce Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. Lawrence Big Hair was quick to declare there was no foul New Year’s Eve, where she er he said the review process of death will be determined play suspected — a position was allegedly served alcohol, will be completed in a timely upon review of the full toxicol- which drew criticism from to where she was left at the manner to preserve witness ogy report. some of the public. rest area. recollections and evidence. Winburn said the results “No characterizations of evi- Harris said in the release he should be back within about dence or promises of immu- considered the search for Not four weeks. The BHCSO’s Potential charges nity by the Big Horn County Afraid to be both a missing position at this time is there Big Horn County Attorney Sheriff’s Office are binding person’s case and a criminal is no definitive evidence to Jay Harris issued a press upon the State of Montana investigation as of Jan. 14. suggest foul play based on release Jan. 21 demanding in criminal prosecution,” Harris issued a public release the investigation up to this the production of evidence Harris said in the release. Jan. 23 with the preliminary point, and note of a lack of tire from the BHCSO and other “The County Attorney’s Office results of Not Afraid’s autop- treads and footprints around involved agencies detail- will not characterize the cir- sy. Not Afraid’s body when she ing law enforcement’s efforts cumstances of the discovery Montana State Chief was found. in the search. No charges of any dead body as reflecting Medical Examiner Dr. Robert “It’s still too early to clear against any individuals have foul play or not reflecting foul Kurtzman conducted an exam- anything up,” Winburn said. been filed as of noon Tuesday. play, until such time as all ination at the Montana State The undersheriff would not Big Horn County necessary and proper inves- Crime Lab in Billings and did comment on the estimated COURTESY PHOTO | Undersheriff Eric Winburn tigative leads are followed not find any injuries to her time of the girl’s death, and Claire Nettles, 2, was born with Myotonic said Harris and Yellowstone and all available evidence is body that suggested assault or the county attorney told The Dystrophy. Due to that, she is behind devel- County officials will deter- reviewed and scrutinized.” physical abuse. Press the coroner would also opmentally and is unable to walk on her mine if the details of the case Harris declined to speculate Evidence from the examina- not give a comment until after own. Her mother, Sheyle, said Claire moti- warrant criminal charges — on a timeline for when all tion is consistent with death the official release of findings. vated her to pursue the building of an inclu- from the house party Not evidence will be compiled and by exposure, according to the sive park in Sheridan. Afraid attended in Billings charges decided upon, howev- release, but an official cause SEE INVESTIGATION, PAGE 2 New playground to promote inclusion Groups, residents discuss Sheridan County’s open spaces BY MICHAEL ILLIANO BY KRISTEN CZABAN [email protected] [email protected] SHERIDAN — Wyoming’s SHERIDAN — For some, going to the open spaces represent assets park means watching other children run that can be leveraged in several and play on the jungle gyms and longing different ways. to climb the ladders and slip down the In Sheridan County in par- slides. But, Sheyle Nettles recognized ticular, making the most of that varying levels of ability sometimes those assets requires residents limit opportunities for play. to decide how they want to Nettles daughter, Claire, was born balance the various demands with Myotonic Dystrophy. Due to that, placed on land. she is behind developmentally and is The Sheridan County unable to walk on her own. Chamber of Commerce hosted Nettles said Claire may never be able the first of four community to walk without assistance — currently discussions on balancing she’s learning to walk using a walker the use of Sheridan County’s — and may some day need to utilize a open spaces at Luminous wheelchair. Brewhouse Tuesday. The ses- Nettles, Sheridan Jaycees vice pres- sion focused on the role of pub- ident of management and community lic lands, in an effort to begin development, approached the Jaycees a dialogue around how county organization with the idea for an inclu- residents want to see their sive playground last year. open spaces utilized. MATTHEW GASTON | THE SHERIDAN PRESS SEE PLAYGROUND, PAGE 4 The Sheridan County Land Trust’s executive director Brad Bauer hosted a community discussion on open space and land management at Luminous Brewhouse Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. SEE OPEN SPACES, PAGE 3 Scan with your The Sheridan Press Today’s edition is published for: PEOPLE 5 SPORTS B1 smartphone for 144 Grinnell Plaza, Sheridan, WY 82801 AT A GLANCE 6 COMICS B4 latest weather, 307.672.2431 C.T. Bailey www.thesheridanpress.com ALMANAC 7 CLASSIFIEDS B5 news and sports www.DestinationSheridan.com of Ranchester TASTE 8 LEGALS B7 An insider’s guide to northern Wyoming in the palm of your hand. BIGHORNS Arts and culture, outdoor adventures, restaurants and bars, family activities, and much, much more. A2 THE SHERIDAN PRESS www.thesheridanpress.com WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020 INVESTIGATION : Female witness gave no explanation for why Not Afraid crossed fence FROM 1 rescue team executed a grid A forensic pathologist search to definitively elim- will examine internal Days that followed inate each area of the grid, organs and look for damage. Winburn said. A map of the A hair sample would show Six individuals — four search shows what areas drug use that can be dated adult males, one adult were searched by day. One like tree rings. Sometimes, female and Not Afraid, the expansive search along I-90 a coroner must attempt to only juvenile — left a house Jan. 17 was executed on the disprove a litany of possible party in Billings when their assumption that if she had causes of death rather than car broke down at the rest walked, she’d stay close to proving any one, Kane said. area, Winburn recounted the road. “Hypothermia, it’s some- from witness statements. “We could have got the thing that you can’t test The driver figured if he got tracking team out quicker,” for,” Kane said. “So, the the car running again, all Winburn said. “We realize reason that we would do individuals should be back that volunteer searches are the forensic autopsy, pho- in the vehicle so they could not that — they’re helpful tograph, go through every- leave without the car break- but they’re not helpful to thing — nothing else is ing down again. the point where we can say, found...you rule out every- The males returned to ‘This has been searched thing else possible and then the vehicle but the females enough, we know she’s not you’re left with that.” didn’t want to get back in there.’ They could have In a standard case, the cor- and the driver “took off,” walked by her.” oner or medical examiner Winburn said. The driver Winburn said the BHCSO begins by collecting body then called his mother to go could have also organized specimens and blood for the to the rest area and pick up some further training with toxicology report, which the two females. When she COURTESY GRAPHIC | volunteers about search tac- will test for a broad panel of arrived, Not Afraid was not Above: A map provided by the Big Horn County Sherif’s Ofce shows search routes by day from tics to potentially find her drugs, Kane said. there. Jan. 11 through Jan. 20. Below: Yellow pins show the approximate recovery location of Selena Not body more quickly. There The female witness told Afraid’s body relative to the rest area where she was last seen alive. was no debris covering Not law enforcement Not Afraid Afraid’s body and no obvi- One account crossed a fence and started search over 20 days. Neither ous scavenging, Winburn of the search hiking toward trees. The the Bureau of Indian Affairs said. mother continued on to help nor BHCSO could provide Because of the angle from Billings Police escort the vehicle that broke a comprehensive list of the road and nature of the Department Officer David down again farther down when agencies and individ- landscape, when they looked Firebaugh and K9 Dutch the road.