Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind

Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, was eight months pregnant when she disappeared from her Fargo, North Dakota, apartment on August 19, 2017. Her family reported her missing within hours, but initial police response was delayed, reflecting a pattern of underreported and underinvestigated cases involving Indigenous women. Her remains were discovered on August 25 in the Red River, and an autopsy confirmed she had been killed and her unborn child removed from her womb.¹

The investigation led to the arrest of Brooke Crews, a neighbor who had offered to help with the pregnancy, and her boyfriend William Hoehn. Crews pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole; Hoehn was convicted of conspiracy and kidnapping and received a 20-year sentence. The baby, named Haisley Jo, was found alive in Crews's apartment and reunited with the father. The case exposed jurisdictional complexities on tribal lands and the need for better coordination between tribal and federal authorities.²

In response to her death, Senator Heidi Heitkamp introduced Savanna's Act in 2017, which was signed into law in October 2020. The act requires the Department of Justice and Department of the Interior to develop protocols for responding to cases of missing and murdered Native Americans, improve data collection and reporting, and provide training for law enforcement. It also mandates consultation with tribal governments and the creation of a national database. The law is part of a broader movement addressing the disproportionate rates of violence against Indigenous women, who face murder rates more than ten times the national average in some regions.³

Beyond the federal act, Savanna's case inspired state-level reforms, including North Dakota's creation of a Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force. Her family established the Savanna's Light Foundation to raise awareness and support families of missing Indigenous women. Notably, the case was one of the first to receive widespread media attention through social media campaigns, highlighting the role of community-led efforts in pressuring authorities. Additionally, the FBI's involvement underscored the jurisdictional maze: because the crime occurred off-reservation, it fell under state jurisdiction, yet the victim's tribal affiliation triggered federal reporting requirements. The case also influenced the 2022 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which expanded tribal jurisdiction over non-Native perpetrators.⁴

Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation

A federally recognized Native American tribe located in North Dakota.

Savanna's Act

Federal law aimed at improving law enforcement response to missing and murdered Native Americans.