Stolen Voices: Why Big Horn County’s Story Demands to Be Heard

The first thing you feel is the silence. It’s heavy, unnatural, and full of questions that no one seems willing to answer. Stolen Voices: Missing and Murdered in Big Horn County begins in that silence, and from its opening pages, it becomes clear that this is more than a book. It’s a reckoning. It’s a light held fiercely against the darkness of injustice. And it’s a reminder that behind every statistic is a family waiting for truth, a community fighting to be seen, and a story that should never have been forgotten.

This topic matters because the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). A crisis that has devastated families across Montana, Wyoming, and beyond. It is not abstract. It is personal, immediate, and deeply rooted in generations of systemic neglect. Big Horn County holds one of the highest rates of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in the United States. The case of 16‑year‑old Selena Not Afraid, found twenty days after she vanished under circumstances still riddled with unanswered questions, is only one heartbreaking example of the patterns this book exposes.

“When a community’s daughters go missing, silence is not an option—every stolen voice demands to be heard until justice finally listens.”

Stolen Voices brings value by refusing to let these lives be reduced to footnotes. Through careful research, firsthand interviews, historical context, and the strength of community testimony, it raises awareness in the most human way possible, by letting readers feel what families feel, see what they see, and recognize the failures they confront every day. It invites readers into a deeper understanding of why these stories matter, not only to Indigenous communities but to anyone who believes in justice, accountability, and the power of truth.

As you move into the pages of the book, prepare for a journey that is both emotional and illuminating. These are stories about loss, but also about resilience, activism, and the people who refuse to let stolen voices remain silent. It’s a call to witness. A call to care. Ultimately, it becomes a call to take meaningful action.