madelyn and carli say it is the little things that remind them of their mom. >> bon jovi will come on the radio and we will think of our mom and go to all kinds of concerts and she was just a fun person. >> everything i know about your mom makes me think she would've wanted you in a courtroom. she wouldn't have wanted you to hear about a murder trial. she wouldn't have wanted any of this to touch you at all. >> no. >> no, she would just want us to be like happy. >> maybe she will finally get her wish. >> yeah. yes. >> that is all for this edition of dateline. i am andrea canning. thank you for watching. rea can. thank you for watching. i'm craig melvin and this is dateline. >> my father always told me to

keep an eye on her. >> you made a promise to him. >> to make sure she was okay. i was going to find her. >> you knew is her mom that something was very wrong. >> yes, i did. >> there was a report she was in a silver car. i knew she was probably in i trouble. >> you get a call from asa blocked number. >> yes. >> she would turn it on and ou tried to get truth out of him. t >> i will keep digging and digging. >> there are so many unsolved cases out there. >> indigenous girls across the nation, it's heartbreaking to think how we are invisible. . hello, and welcome to dateline.

carla yellow bird grew up surrounded by love on her north dakota indian reservation. when she vanished, her family was frantic to find her, and believed authorities were not doing enough. it was a common feeling and native american circles, but the yellow birds had a secret weapon. carla's aunt was determined to find the truth. here is andrea canning with the secrets of spirit lake. >> there's been a lot of sacrifice that went on this. on a personal level. >> but you are never done. her name is lissa yellow bird. her job defies description. investigator, interrogator, searcher of last resort. the one people turn to in their worst moments. this is backbreaking, 24/7,

this is you living and breathing. >> constantly. >> here is where she works. sacred lands, teeming with beauty. but woven into the landscaper crimes that have gone on for years. even centuries. native american women and girls sing and murdered. more than 300 reservations a cup what is known as indian country in america. in this country, the statistics are staggering. according to department of justice findings, four out of five native american women have experienced violence in their lifetime and in 2021 cdc study found homicide rates for native american women were more than three times those of non- hispanic white women. >> this is 2021. we are demanding our rights to be heard. >> lissa yellow bird and many

others believe cases are neglected by law enforcement. they say action is long overdue. >> who protects us? >> we protect us. >> the numbers, the victims have sparked a movement called mmiw . >> it is called missing, murdered, and indigenous women and it is a cry for help . >> lanette once a world to hear that cry. she's an activists and survivor who lives in the wind river reservation in wyoming. >> i am a full-blooded native american woman. i am the most stalked, sexually assaulted, and murdered out of every ethnicity in the country. >> that is tragic and eye- opening. >> it is heart wrenching to really think about the measure of how we are invisible to america. >> she says native american women are trying to make

themselves visible with events like the annual national day of action. >> no more stole and status -- sisters. >> if a white woman goes missing in a fancy neighborhood somewhere versus an indigenous woman who goes missing off a reservation, are they going to get the same attention? >> absolutely not. even in this day and time, they will not get the same attention. >> in this ongoing tragedy, lissa yellow bird found her calling. she decided she would dedicate herself to search for missing and murdered native american women. she began in her home state of north dakota. now from the great plains to the southwest, she uses whatever method, whatever tool will bring a loved one home. >> i just don't want families to feel they are all alone. >> she knows that feeling first- hand because after years of helping others, the crisis hit home when her own niece, carla yellow bird went missing. >> we and her father were so

close. he always told me to keep an eye on her. help her out. don't forget her. >> you had made a promise to him. >> yeah. >> what was the promise? >> to make sure she was okay. that's it. >> it was august, 2016, carla suddenly stop texting and calling. it did not sit right with carla's mother loretta and her sister kerry. >> we contacted friends. nobody heard from her. that's when it started getting scary. >> i started thinking something bad happened because it wasn't like her to go this long without talking to somebody. >> carlo was living in the town of mandan. april, a detective with the mandan police department was assigned to the case. do you deal with a lot of

missing person cases? >> we have quite a few. >> carl his roommate told investigators where she may have gone. >> she said she was going to st. michael's and she did not know when she would be back. >> is that it town? >> it's on spirit lake. >> spirit lake is a reservation that's north of mandan. the detective, like most local law enforcement did not have the jurisdiction to investigate a case involving tribal members on reservation land. most reservations have the room police forces, but the bureau of indian affairs, the bia, division of the department of interior is also involved in tribal law enforcement. the roles of the bia, tribal police, local cops can be confusing. especially to the distraught families of missing women. back in mandan, the detective gave the office on spirit lake a call. she said no one called her back. does this complicate things

when you have all these jurisdictional issues with reservations and cities, and everyone trying to work together and it doesn't always go smoothly. >> absolutely. you are, key pieces they have to come from somebody else, and that could be right away or several days. but you are waiting. >> loretta waited too, anguished over her daughter's disappearance. what's that like as a mom waking up every day and she still is not calling? >> i try to find answers or hear something. >> but nothing. you just knew, as her mom, something was very wrong. >> yes, i did. >> carlo was out there. somewhere. maybe alone. if anyone knew how to find her, it was her aunt . >> turns out carla and her aunt shared for the family. they shared a past. coming up.

>> she had gone down a bad path. >> she went down the same path i did. i will keep digging and digging. it was a neva a question if i would find her but i was going to find her. >> investigators uncover the first clues. >> there was a report she was in a silver car. silver car. thanks. they are just for the bus ride to work. they are not part of the official uniform. no tunes today? no. my apartment was robbed last night. took my cable ready tv, vcr, portable cassette player. yup. all the latest tech. if only progressive had renter's insurance like their home insurance. then we could bundle our cars and get the same 24/7 protection. -i think we just invented that. -huh. this is the best day ever. well i still got robbed. well still pretty good day.

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she was a mischievous but yet wonderful to have. she was very smart. >> when carla walked in the room you knew she had arrived? >> yeah. she was outgoing and happy. everyone enjoyed being around her. she was always there for us and watched over us. she was the best big sister. >> her mom and sister recall how loving she was. that went for extended family twitter. when it came to her relationship with her on, they had their own kind of fun. >> she had this big gaudy ring on and when she put her hand up i was like, oh, my god. lose that ring. it looks horrible. >> what did she say? >> she was like, why? she asked do you want it? i said heck no. >> she enrolled in college, had

children, and got married. her once promising life fell apart. >> drugs got a hold of her. >> you must feel helpless as a parent. >> oh, yes i did. she tried. she put herself into treatment. >> how proud were you that she did go into treatment and she did try? >> very. i would see her and she was happy and she made some friends . but, when she got out, it was still, like, that she never went in there. >> it got a hold of her again? the drugs? >> yeah. >> her story like so many other native american women, echoed on. she had gone down a bad path? >> she went down the same path i went down. >> how close to home is that hitting for you?

>> i could count the number of times i could have ended in the same predicament. >> lissa's life has been a success of success and hardship. a proud member of four tribes. >> she says as a teenager her boyfriend trafficked her for sex. she made it to college and had good jobs, but she also battled addiction and serve just about two years in prison on drug charges. your history is amazing. you are a mother of six. you been to prison but you studied criminal justice, worked as a prison guard, welder, social worker, and a legal advocate. how have all these things prepared you for this? >> i don't know but they sure come in handy. >> she took on her first case just weeks after her release from prison. a young neighbor disappeared

and lissa mobilize family and friends to look for her. they found the girl alive. from there, people kept asking for help and for the last 12 years, she has not stop searching. >> i will keep digging and digging. >> digging has paid up. over her years of searching, lissa located dozens of people. some came home alive but many others did not. most families were grateful for answers. that was the case with a young mother named olivia who disappeared. she was last spotted in a pickup truck. lissa followed a hunch to a lake . she took her boat out with volunteers and sonar gear. >> we went across the bay and this little girl says, do you think this is the truck? i looked at it and i was like, oh, my god. >> submerged in water, olivia's body strapped in the passenger seat.

this is her uncle. >> i am indebted to her and grateful to her. >> lissa set every recovery, every search has taken a toll. >> there is times i will never get back with my family. my kids are all grown now. >> although sacrifices would steal her for the hardest fight of her life. the search for her own niece, carla. mid-september, 2016, detective bowman was tracking down tips she had received about carla's case. >> there was a report she was in a silver car and hanging out with suna guy. >> suna guy, dakota charboneau, and daylin st. pierre. all three had lengthy criminal records. all three resided on the spirit lake reservation. bowman contacted tribal police. she said they never put her

through to the investigator. just told her they talked with suna guy and he had not seen carla. if she wanted to interview suna guy herself, she could not since she did not have jurisdiction to interview tribal members without bia, tribal police, or fbi approval, which she had not received. for carlos owned lissa, it was time to step in. >> it wasn't even a question if i would find her, i was going to find her. >> as the search for carla continues, an unexpected phone call gives on lissa her first big break. coming up. >> if there's a way i could help anybody, i would try. >> someone reaches out to lissa, a new source with a secret. secret.

lissa yellow bird watched awaited as law enforcement search for her niece carla. as day after day went by with gnomic answers, she grew when payson. how do you kick into

action? >> i put my poker face on and dealt with it like i did any other case. >> like so many times before, she stepped in. 's time for her own family. >> she to get into herself and got it rolling. >> to start, she needed sources to talk. she could work the phones, knock on doors, walk the prairies. out here were cell service is nonexistent in some areas, the most effective way to communicate can be through social media. lissa had a massive network of followers she could tap into. what is the first thing you do? >> i went to social media, really. i put a call at saying carla is missing. >> she knew people who might be reluctant to talk to police were often willing to talk to her. talking to you for some people is so much easier than talking to a detective? are a federal agent? >> yeah.

i believe that. >> she contacted everyone she could on the reservation and was able to pinpoint the owner that car carla was seen in. it was the father of suna guy, one of the three men the detective could not interview because they lived on the reservation. lissa reached out to the detective to compare notes. >> i did spend time letting her know i was a relative. that i kind of work on this arena. please share as much information with me as you can. >> for detective,, lissa was a welcome hand. >> all help is good help. the more people looking the more the case gets resolved. >> the case had become daunting in size and scope. >> she told me this search area was spanning five states and three reservations. >> detective bowman had worked most of her leads. the only ones remaining where

the three men. >> her hands were tied because she was stuck in mandan. >> this was no surprise to you? >> jurisdiction. >> lissa is not a cop and not constrained by jurisdictions or what she is allowed to say or do. >> my hands are not tied. i will find her. >> she used facebook to blast out what she knew. >> once i got information and i had some names, i put that out there. >> now, all her followers knew the names of the men she thought were somehow involved in the disappearance. she waited for a response. then her phone rang. >> why is my name being put in stuff when i don't even know what's going on? >> you get a call from a blocked number. >> yes. >> who is it? >> suna. >> he seemed ready to talk. lissa hit record on her phone. her strategy? just listened to suna.

she wanted to build trust. lissa thought if she was patient, sooner my telling her a story. what was the story? >> he said he gave a ride to carla's mother in law and carla and took them up to spirit lake. >> he kept going? >> yeah. he did not see her again. >> did you believe him? >> no. >> fbi special agent also worked on the case. what did you think is your listening to these calls? >> she did a great job of building trust with him. building rapport.

>> after more than 30 minutes, suna ended the conversation . lissa had no phone number for suna, no way to reach him. she only had a questionable promise he would call again. was that the end of this? >> far from it. >> coming up. >> you were like a one-woman bad cop good cop. >> she would try to get truth out of him. >> would it work? work? h. this is a hot flash. but this is a not flash. for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms due to menopause...

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i'm richard lui and these are the headlines. hurricane beryl is expected to make landfall in mexico today after wreaking havoc in the

southern caribbean. at least seven people have been killed and much of jamaica is without power. residence in south texas are bracing for heavy rain's barrel moved north. president biden will kelley in wisconsin as he works to quell concerns about his age. he will sit down with an interview with abc news. his first major tv interview after the debate. welcome back to dateline. i am craig melvin. what happened to carla yellow bird? a detective had given aunt lissa the names of three men seen with karloff. the last of the names on social media and then her phone rang. suna guy insisted he had nothing to hide, but, if he thought lissa was done with him? he had another thing coming. back to andrea canning with the secrets of spirit lake. >> carla yellow bird vanished

into the north dakota wind. her loved ones held out one last bit of hope she was still alive. her search told her time had run out for her niece. for her, this was a recovery mission. >> whatever it takes to bring her home. >> lissa felt that suna guy despite his claims knew what really happened to carla. something was not sitting right for you. >> it was bs. i knew that. >> she wanted to talk more with suna so she turned to facebook yet again. this time she focused on suna. it made him angry enough to pick up the phone again. in their previous call, lissa tried to build a bond with suna.

now she came at him full throttle. >> lissa's strategy was to show how angry she was, to intimidate him into giving out more details. >> are you trying to rattle him? >> he is questioning his own self about who he is as a person. >> you were like a one woman good cop/bad cop. >> have never heard that before. >> it fits. >> kind of.

>> lissa hung up the phone. it was an impulsive move. may be the wrong move. she would have to wait and see. she updated carla's mom loretta. how much of this is lissa sharing with you? >> she shared everything. his whole conversation was a lie. he was lying, pure lying. >> police were running a parallel investigation. but detective bowman said she was a hearing back from the bureau of indian affairs. you reached out and not getting calls back. >> i'm not getting the information i need. >> how frustrating is that? >> really frustrating. >> she documented her calls to the bia calls. when we contacted the bia, we were told the agent assigned to

the case had no knowledge of detective bowman's attempts to reach their offices. lissa said she called the bia and left messages. >> why are you not searching for her? what are you doing? who is doing what? >> you did not feel they were doing enough? >> they weren't doing anything to begin with. that's how they operate. >> the bia told us and carla's case, agents assisted the fbi with search efforts on foot and with helicopters, drones, and atvs. but lissa was not counting on the bia to find carla. suna was her biggest lead, but she had hung up on him. did you think i will never hear from him again? >> no. >> it turned out she was right. he called you back? >> he did. >> the dynamic had shifted. suna was seeking her out and seem to want to tell her

something. lissa kept the pressure on. she needed suna to feel guilty. were you kind of betting on his conscience that eventually he would do the right thing? >> i knew he would. >> her demands for answers war away at a defensive suna. >> all this time, suna is telling you he wants to help. his parents raised him right. >> that is him trying to negotiate with himself. that is the way i saw it. >> she kept turning on the heat. >> suna would go on. she would turn it on and try to get truth out of him. >> fatigue caught up with lissa. >> i was tired and exhausted and spent. >> the breaking point came as

suna told her his life was in danger. men were following him. >> suna had spun so many stories, so many lies, this was one too many for lissa. >> i thought that was funny at some point. >> every word he said made her laugh. >> you might think suna would be offended. but, no, seemed to not come into some reality. >> that was the turning point for him. >> he was almost persuaded by your laughing.

>> yeah. >> suna was about to give it all up . >> lissa's phone rings again and suna extends an invitation to meet in person. for carla's family, the moment of truth. >> you still had that little tiny glimmer of hope? >> it's something you don't want to hear in your life. >> a new revelation from suna. is he now in danger too? >> he is convinced he is being monitored. he is paranoid at this point. and keeping it off? same. discover the power of wegovy®. ♪ ♪ with wegovy®, i lost 35 pounds. and some lost over 46 pounds. ♪ ♪ and i'm keeping the weight off. wegovy® helps you lose weight and keep it off. i'm reducing my risk.

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too often in this vast, unforgiving land, all lissa yellow bird can hope for is to find a body. a suspect let alone a cooperative one is too rare per then, there was suna guy, he was calling again . and, he had cracked. >> after all those hours on the phone, suna guy said he would take her to carla's body. he admitted to what lissa had long believed. carla was dead.

suna insisted he did not pull the trigger but in the aftermath, he said dakota charboneau and daylin st. pierre demanded he help move her body. >> did he explain the motive? >> yeah. the drugs. the money. >> they had stolen her money and drugs? why killed her? why not steal it and leave her there? >> the intention was to rob her. it did not go as planned, obviously. when it happened the way it did, he claims it was as big of a shock to him. >> lissa called me.

that's when she told me they might know where she is at. i said, is she alive? she was like, no. >> you still had that little tiny glimmer of hope? >> even though i knew, when she told me, i started really crying. it is something you don't ever want to hear in your life. >> this was your firstborn. >> yes. i didn't think -- i didn't want it to be true. >> and mandan, detective bowman had spoken on the phone with suna that day and he said he feared the men involved in the murder were after him. >> he is convinced he is being monitored. he is paranoid at this point. >> she thought suna could be in danger. this is a monumental moment and you need help. >> i know the fbi can cover everything. they could go everywhere. i need the fbi.

>> the fbi is responsible for investigating major crimes on reservations. the special agent had been in contact with detective bowman about carla's disappearance. on the day he found out that suna had turned, the team was on the reservation with the bia and a helicopter looking for carla. he thought they needed to bring suna in that night, but it turned out that wouldn't be so easy. >> suna was hiding. he would -- his phone could not be located. he went off the grid. >> were you starting to get worried as he is not responding? >> i was starting to get worried . he would lead us on a wild goose chase. >> nevertheless, the next day lissa and that detective bowman headed to spirit lake to connect with the team. all of them counting on suna's promised to take them to

carla's body. as you were pulling up to spirit lake , how are you feeling? >> i was feeling like i was in anticipation. i wanted to hurry up and get this over with. sure it was her. >> suna was not there. fbi agents eventually found him at a relatives house. suna got in the vehicle and they drove a few miles down the road. >> this is where he led you to? >> this is the spot. >> isolated field on the reservation. >> it's kind of surreal. we have three or five law enforcement vehicles coming here. suna gets out of the car and we are walking. anticipation has built to this moment. we are probably around this area that we stopped. suna points and he said it will be over there. where the bushes are. as we walk a little further, once we get to a certain point, we could see some of carla's

clothes. >> you could see the body? >> we probably walked a little further, and we could see bright colored clothes. >> so you knew you found her. >> we knew we found her and this is a point where suna gets a little emotional. that's when he said this wasn't supposed to happen. >> lissa waited nearby. later, the agents brought photos and she i.d. the body. >> first thing i noticed was that ring. >> the gaudy ring? she still had it on. >> it was right there. just to see the condition she was in ski, definitely not my first time seeing anybody in that condition. >> it was your niece. >> definitely seeing someone i loved. you know? i guess i never felt like i had such an open wound like in the

middle of nowhere was seeing someone you care about discarded like that. discarded her. they left her. >> lissa made the awful call to loretta telling her they found carla's body. it came as a sad relief. did it help you knowing she was coming home? that you would not have to wonder anymore where she was or what happened? >> yes, that made me feel better that at least i knew where she was and i got to bring her home. >> for so many other native american mothers, bringing their missing children home is something they can only hope for. there is no reason for hope. >> it has been a sad history. we are trying to change it. >> coming up. >> you spoke on behalf of suna. why would you do that? >> in court, a surprise it would serve -- divide the

family. >> do you think you can ever repair things with lissa? >> i want you to know you are not alone. >> so many forgotten families. is change coming at last? last? [coughing] copd hasn't been pretty. it's tough to breathe and tough to keep wondering if this is as good as it gets. but trelegy has shown me that there's still beauty and breath to be had. because with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open and prevents future flare-ups. and with one dose a day, trelegy improves lung function so i can breathe more freely all day and night. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis.

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welcome back. carla yellow bird was finally home.

her remains were returned to her family after suna guy, one of the men involved in carla's murder led her aunt lissa and the fbi to her body. many native americans like carla are still missing. it has spurred a growing movement for change. with the conclusion of the secrets of spirit lake , here is andrea canning. >> the story of carla yellow bird was in many ways tragically routine. native american woman goes missing and later turns up dead. what was unusual and carless case was her killers were brought to justice. daylin st. pierre city hit carla on the head with a gun and accidentally discharged. he pleaded guilty to felony murder and related charges and sentenced to 27.5 years. dakota charboneau pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for aiding and abetting the killing.

he was sentenced to 50 years for carla's murder and other charges. as part of a plea deal, suna guy was sentenced to 15 years for second-degree murder and related charges. you came face-to-face with suna guy. >> yes, i did. >> what did he say? >> he told me he was sorry. >> did you say anything? >> i was happy he showed where my daughter was. >> there was a surprise witness at suna's sentencing. you spoke on behalf of suna. why would you do that when he was part of something that was so horrific? >> first of all, suna did not plot to kill carla. he did not pull the trigger without suna we would never have gotten carla back . >> lissa was risking any relationship with loretta to support suna but she wanted to encourage others to come forward, as he had. >> send a clear message to society in india -- indian

country that it's okay to give other people closure. >> loretta told us she is grateful to lissa for helping find carla, but she cannot forgive her for advocating for suna. she has spoken out on social media. do you think you will ever be able to repair things? >> maybe in time. >> i pray for whoever out there is missing. >> change has come slowly. it hasn't stopped those who fight for the cause. just the opposite. >> it is up to us to keep law enforcement and the authorities on their toes when it comes to getting justice. >> i lost a loved one. i want you to know you are not alone. >> lynette says they want people everywhere, not just in indian country, to mobilize for missing and murdered women. >> we know it's a time to speak

up and fight. it is a time to bring light to our issues. >> as we reported this story, many people like lynette shared concerns of law enforcement's handling of crimes against native americans. you see this all too often where their daughter's case is not being taken seriously enough. >> yes. >> sister or mother? >> or their sons. i have heard law enforcement tell the family and even myself that this person is an alcoholic gourd known to party. i always cringe when i hear that because that does not matter. they are still a human being. >> the issue with missing and murdered is so systemic that there are no easy answers. >> you bring a unique perspective. >> one thing does bring hope. the appointment of deb haaland as secretary of the interior. she oversees the bia, first native american to do so. >> when i see an indigenous woman missing, i see one of my

own sisters or my cousins or one of my aunties or my own child. >> i take this freely. >> wants a single mother on food stamps, she put herself through law school and elected to congress before being named to the cabinet. when indigenous women look at you, what do you hope they see? >> i have lived their life and i want their voices to be represented. >> tackling the missing, murdered, and indigenous women crisis is a priority for secretary holland. >> this is a crisis that has been happening in our country since colonization. it is very deep. and so, i am grateful that we are seeing some action right now. >> in 2019, trump administration set up a special task force to address the problem. congress passed the not invisible leg to improve law enforcement cooperation and to

increase the focus on missing and murdered women. in 2021, secretary holland and the biden administration established the first of its kind, missing and murdered unit within the bureau of indian affairs. is this safe boots on the ground operation where you will go through case files and go case-by-case? >> absolutely. boots on the ground is a good way to say that. >> in a written statement, the bia told us they welcome the additional resources. bia office of justice services take seriously each and every case there working to solve because agents, who are often members of the same tribal community they serve, know that cases are not just a case file. they represent a family missing a loved one that deserves closure. secretary haaland says changes to policy and law enforcement are critical, but so is raising awareness. not just in indian country. in the whole country.

>> in some cases these missing purses cases, the murders don't get reported if they're not reported, nobody knows to investigate them. that is something that i am very passionate about because families deserve some answers. >> missing, murdered, and indigenous women movement fights for thousands of people and they are not anonymous. every one has a name. like olivia loan bear. ashley heavy runner. cecelia. joseph. faith. monica. and carla yellow bird. each one beloved by someone like lissa and loretta laid her daughter to rest on the reservation where carla was raised. >> i go to the cemetery a lot but i take the kids.

telling them they will see their mom. >> how does it feel to be back here? >> as for lissa, we took her to the field where her niece spent her final moments. >> i miss carla. everybody does. i tried to do the best i can and make sure it doesn't happen to anybody else. >> carla represents so many other women. >> she does. >> are you going to keep fighting and searching? >> for sure. most definitely. i don't want another family to feel how we felt. >> that is all for this edition of dateline. i am craig melvin. thank you for watching. u for w r pop up that maybe there was some evidence i'm andrea canning, and this isng "dateline." >> did red flags ever pop up that maybe there was some