The father of an 18-year-old Fort Washakie woman who died Tuesday after an incident on the Wind River Indian Reservation was hesitant to say much about his daughter’s case Friday, fearing he’d upset a federal investigation into her death.
Kevin Ferris Jr., who serves as a judge on the Wind River Tribal Court, said his family is heartbroken over the loss of his daughter,Stephanie Grace Bearstail.
Bearstail was involved in an “incident” early Tuesday morning, after which she died, the FBI’s Denver Office spokeswoman Vikki Migoya confirmed Friday to Cowboy State Daily.
Ferris said the teen died about 12 hours after the incident at Riverton’s SageWest Health Care, and that she couldn’t be life-flighted from the area due to the weather.
“She was precious to the family,” said Ferris, adding that his daughter was on track to graduate from Fort Washakie High School, and had been taking early college courses through Central Wyoming College.
She was pursuing studies in medical science, he said.
“She was just — you know — tragically taken away from the family,” said Ferris.
He said he didn’t want to discuss the case while it’s under investigation, and he declined to confirm whether anyone is in custody in connection with the teen’s death.
Highway Patrol Involved Too
The Wind River Police Department, which is the local outpost for the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, notified the FBI of the incident early March 4, wrote Migoya in a Friday email.
The FBI handles felonies, generally, on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
“A female who was involved has since passed away,” wrote Migoya, who declined to identify Bearstail by name or age. "The investigation into the incident is ongoing. At this point it is accurate to call it a death investigation."
Part of the FBI’s investigation involved “a scene” near the 900 block of Rendezvous Road. The BIA and Wyoming Highway Patrol also processed that scene with the FBI.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol had not listed the March 4 incident as a road fatality as of Friday morning. A Fremont County-based spokesman for the agency did not immediately respond to a voicemail request for comment.
Fremont County Coroner Chief Deputy Tony Simmers declined to comment, saying the coroner’s office would not release information until its investigation is complete. That office tends to release coroner’s dockets weeks or months after the original deaths happen.
Justice
Ferris urges people who know details about the incident to reach out to the FBI at 307-335-7559. And he said he hopes people posting about it on Facebook will use a hashtag phrase #justiceforsteph.
Numerous Facebook users have gone public about Bearstail’s death, posting her photograph alongside an informational flier about domestic and sexual violence, and how they impact indigenous communities.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
