Search Continues For Missing Man
Written by Darla Shumway
The Fort Peck Tribes Police Department, the Fort Peck Tribal Highway Safety Program, Fort Peck Tribal Criminal Investigations, Fort Peck Tribes Fish and Game Department, Fort Peck Tribes Natural Resource Office and the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office have been actively looking into the disappearance of Roderick Red Star since Tuesday, March 17.
Twenty-year-old Red Star was last seen in the early-morning hours walking on the Wolf Creek Road, leaving the Donald Shyface residence located approximately seven miles northwest of Wolf Point.
Red Star is an American Indian who is about 6’1” tall and weighs around 185 pounds. He has dark-brown hair and dark-brown eyes. He has a goatee, mustache and mullet-style haircut. Last known clothing he was wearing was a dark shirt and dark pants.
The search has been a daily occurrence by plane, all-terrain vehicles and on foot, including the use of a tracking dog. Both local law enforcement and local volunteers have been very helpful in this search, said Fort Peck Tribes public safety director Jose Figueroa.
To this date approximately 500 square miles has been searched both land and air. The United States Air Force Auxiliary - Civil Air Patrol out of Billings has been involved, as well as Dallas Aero of Poplar. This area has been flown over three times to this date, retracing and retracing the searchers’ steps.
Search patterns have been mapped out and flown and gone through at least twice on the ground.
“We are also working on getting a helicopter to join in the search. This would allow for a slow methodical ground level search of the area,” said Figueroa.
With the warmer weather last week, the ground started to become very muddy and is impassable in places. Wolf Creek is running very high and fast, as well. This has also been a problem, as well as stubble fields becoming soggy and unable to get through either by ATV or 4x4 vehicles.
“The Valley County Sheriff’s Office is being contacted in hopes of using their hovercraft to broaden our search methods, said Figueroa. The hovercraft would allow the search party to hover above-ground on a cushion of air, which enable searchers to get into places not attainable by foot or 4x4.
A character analysis is also being conducted on Red Star and past family members have been or will be contacted to attain a better picture of Red Star. The residents in place during the night Red Star left have also been interviewed again and again. The Fort Peck Community College was also very helpful in attaining a most recent photo of Red Star.
“I would ask rural residents, farmers, ranchers and the public be mindful and assist by keeping an eye open for any information that may be helpful in this investigation,” said Figueroa.
Anyone with any information or concerns about Red Star — no matter how irrelevant you might think the information is — is asked to call Roosevelt County Sheriff's Office at 653-6240 or the Fort Peck Tribes Police Department at 768-5565 or 768-5566.
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