A special department started out as a cold case task force that recently helped prosecute a murder charge of an active pilot accused of killing a missing Native American woman.
Quinterius Chappelle, 24, is stationed in Elsworth air force Base in South Dakota, sued by a federal grand jury Thursday Murder 21 years old Friends and family members told Fox News Digital that his girlfriend was his for about a year and that Sahela was “shy” Toka Win Sangrait.
The Missing and Murdered Unit (MMU) of the Indian Affairs Agency (BIA) was involved in the case on March 10, when a state lab confirmed DNA samples matching Sangrait’s body, a registered tribe member of the Sioux tribe of the Cheyenne River.
“At that point, our criminal investigators were notified and online,” MMU regional agent Robert Schoeberl told Fox News Digital in an interview Friday.
Sahela “Shy” Sangrait was allegedly killed in August 2024. (Cassidy Wimble)
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The unit originated from a case task force and is part of the “Lady Justice” Operation, a multi-agency initiative established by the Trump administration in 2019 to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system and address the number of missing and murdered Native Americans in the tribe.
In February, BIA announced that the Office of Justice Services launched theSpiritual Action Return“Combined with MMU.
Homicide is one of the three most common causes of death among American Indians aged 15 to 24 in 2019 and local Alaska women, according to data provided by the American Indian National Congress. One in five indigenous women experience sexual violence throughout their lives.
Congress also passed invisible behavior in the first semester of Trump in 2020, aiming to address the massive trafficking of missing persons, murder and trafficking of American Indians and Native Alaska people.
Her sister said Sahela Sangrait was a compassionate person with a “forgiving heart”. (Cassidy Wimble)
“President Trump is the president of law and order, who has been working to make justice for victims of violent crimes,” White House Deputy Secretary Anna Kelly wrote in a statement to Fox News’s number.
According to an editor’s indictment, Airman Basic, who has been in service since 2019, was allegedly “illegal, once premeditated, and attacked Malice” and killed Sangrait around August 11, 2024 at Ellsworth Air Force.
Pennington County Sheriff’s Office says Box Elder’s Sangrait is Report missing On August 10, just the day before authorities claimed she was killed.
Sangrait’s sister Isabela Arroyo told Fox News Digital Chappelle about Sangrait’s verbal abuse that Sangrait had a one-way ticket that moved in with Arroyo and her husband on September 6.
Authorities determined that the alleged murder occurred at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. (Ellsworth Air Force Base)
Her sister said Sangrait told Chappelle that she will go to the birth of her son in Arroyo, Colorado on September 27. However, it is not clear whether Chappelle has discovered her plans to stay in Colorado.
“She never got on the plane,” Arroyo said. “It’s really hard. I thought she just chose not to come again, and unfortunately, that’s not the case.”
Sangrait’s body was discarded in a wooded area near the Pennington and Custer County lines and was discovered by hikers on March 4, about seven months after her disappearance.
The sheriff’s office said the body was “severely broken down” and “no information available.”
The cause of death has not been released.
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Quinterius Chappelle, 24, is charged with first-degree murder.
Tayagonique McGloghlon, who met Sangrait in 2021, also participated in the recent program of the Young People Aging from Foster Care Program, told Fox News Digital that potential nurses call her every week, but similar to Arroyo, the last time she heard from Sangrait was August 10.
“The last message I got from her was on August 10, and she asked me if I was OK,” McGlogloun said. “The day before, I called her about three times. The third time I called the voicemail – like her phone was already off for me, I thought it was really weird. … It disappointed me in a weird way.”
McGloghlon said she tried to send Sangrait messages on social media, thinking she might have been blocked.
“I was like, ‘That’s not like her, especially when she always keeps in touch with me.’
McGloghlon met him while dating a friend of Sangrait, who said she always found him “a little weird” and “never liked him”, but Sangrait only told her good things.
Tayagonique McGloghlon told Fox News Digital She and Sahela Sangrait would take a walk together every day, sharing a can of pickles at least once a week. (Tayagonique McGloghlon)
“I was destroyed [when her remains were found],” McGlolon said. “I’ve never been heartbroken to be honest. She is the light in this world. She doesn’t deserve it. …She is very active and is a good friend. She is a kind soul, just beautiful. I miss her very much. She is one of my best friends. ”
Another friend of Sangrait, Cassidy Wimble, told Fox News Digital that she hasn’t met Chappelle in person, but he was one of the first people she had come into contact with after her disappearance.
“He told me, ‘I don’t know anything. I want us [could] Find her,” Wimble said. “He said the same thing to several people. ”
MMU investigators work with federal National Missing and Unidentified Person System (NAMUS) The Texas-based database and Othram specialize in forensic genetic lineages to identify human remains.
“This is a more advanced forensic test and a lot of evidence in this case will go through,” Schoeberl said.[Othram] Test relatives, basically identify you through family’s DNA. Recently, this has been very beneficial for solving and helping resolve cases. ”
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The Indian Affairs and FBI Bureau assisted in the case. (Indian Affairs Bureau)
As part of the Sangrait investigation, the department also interviewed witnesses, conducted a search and notified the family of death.
As the investigation continues, MMU’s Victim Services program continues to provide daily updates to families, and the unit remains in close contact With the FBI and other agencies that assist in the case.
U.S. attorneys in the Alison J. Ramsdall area of South Dakota said prosecutors will “relatively carry out justice.”
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota will now continue to prosecute this tragic case and seek justice on behalf of the victims,” Ramsdell wrote in a statement on Fox News’s digits.
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Arroyo said knowing her sister would get justice, and Chappelle is now in custody and cannot harm anyone else.
“It was his ability to move around like nothing happened,” Arroyo said. “He had denied or even known my sister. He didn’t say a word when they initially arrested him. He didn’t even ask why he was arrested.”
Chappelle was held by the U.S. Marshal Service at the Pennington County Jail in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Fox News Digital received a schedule and case management order signed by U.S. District Court Judge Camela C. Theeler, noting that the jury trial is scheduled for May 27.
Authorities say Sahela Sangrait was killed at Ellsworth Air Force Base. (Ellsworth Air Force Base)
Attorney Gina Ruggieri made a notice saying she would represent Chappelle instead of his previously appointed public defender and he did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fort Ellsworth said it is working closely with regional law enforcement agencies.
“First of all, our thoughts and prayers are with Sahra’s friends and family,” Colonel Derek Oakley, commander of the 28th bomb wing, was previously charged in a federal criminal complaint with second-degree murder. “We hold pilots responsible for their actions and will be punished if service personnel are found to have violated military or civil law.”
After the prosecution, Fort Ellsworth officials responded to a request for comment and handed Fox News Digital to the South Dakota Attorney’s Office on the grounds of a change in jurisdiction.
Sahela Sangrait was found dead in March after disappearing in 2024. (Facebook/Bernice White Swan)
Wimble said she talks with Sangrait every day, and he describes her as one of the most powerful people she knows.
“She is one of the most resilient people I know,” Wimble said. “You can knock her down, like bowling, she stands up every time. …She’s very strong, and she knows herself better than anyone else. She’s the kindest person I know. Especially everything she’s going through. …She’s everything to me. …She really deserves life.”
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The Air Force and Pennington County Sheriff’s Office declined a request for comment from Fox News numbers.
The FBI and the U.S. Air Force Special Investigation Office did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News numbers.
