Episode 85: What Happened to Olivia Lone Bear?

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When Olivia Lone Bear went missing on October 24, 2017, her family was thrust into a search that would span years, uncovering a series of perplexing details that would leave them without answers. This episode delves into the mysterious circumstances surrounding Olivia's disappearance, from the cryptic final texts sent from her phone to the unexplainable discovery of the truck she had been driving being found just miles from her home. With no clear answers and the investigation stalled, the episode also explores the challenges faced by Indigenous families in the fight for justice, highlighting the systemic barriers that complicate the search for missing women like Olivia.

As we examine the key pieces of this case, we also ask: who might Olivia have been with on the night she disappeared? Was the truck's location an accident or something more sinister? Could the mysterious digital footprints left behind be part of a larger story, and why has no one come forward with answers?

 

Sources:

AP News. (2019, November 20). Affidavit: Woman was strapped into seat of submerged truck. https://apnews.com/general-news-0c2c29a4bc1d4f309ba5cf5a7f3a79c3

Associated Press. (2018, August 1). Body found in truck pulled from lake tied to missing woman: FBI. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2018/08/01/body-found-in-truck-pulled-from-lake-tied-to-missing-woman-fbi/

Associated Press. (2018, August 2). Brother: Body of missing sister recovered on reservation. AP News. https://apnews.com/general-news-b1d5cfb9dfbe40fcaac7e4ec1454e5a3

Associated Press. (2019, November 20). Missing woman whose body was found in a submerged truck in a North Dakota lake was strapped into the passenger seat. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7708809/Affidavit-Woman-strapped-seat-submerged-truck.html

Canning, A. (2021, August 31). Watch the Dateline episode "The Secrets of Spirit Lake" now. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/watch-dateline-episode-secrets-spirit-lake-now-n1278074

CSVANW. (2018, August 16). CSVANW statement on Olivia Lone Bear. Lakota Times. https://www.lakotatimes.com/articles/csvanw-statement-on-olivia-lone-bear/

Dalrymple, A. (2017, November 16). Investigation into Olivia Lone Bear case got off to 'very slow start,' ND tribal chairman says. Bismarck Tribune. https://www.inforum.com/news/investigation-into-olivia-lone-bear-case-got-off-to-very-slow-start-nd-tribal-chairman-says

Democracy Now. (n.d.). Native American mother of 5 missing in North Dakota. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/democracynow/videos/native-american-mother-of-5-missing-in-north-dakota/10155889437833279/

Democracy Now. (2017, November 29). Native American woman Olivia Lone Bear, mother of 5, missing in North Dakota oil fields. Democracy Now. https://www.democracynow.org/2017/11/29/native_american_woman_olivia_lone_bear

Democracy Now. (2018, August 3). Body of Olivia Lone Bear Found in N. Dakota as Native Women Face Crisis of Murders, Disappearances. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/8/3/body_of_olivia_lone_bear_found

Dura, J. (2019, November 20). New details emerge in Olivia Lone Bear case as federal authorities visit Fort Berthold Reservation. Bismarck Tribune. https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/new-details-emerge-in-olivia-lone-bear-case-as-federal-authorities-visit-fort-berthold-reservation/article_7ab709ae-e625-5d3c-8277-96fe812198e4.html

Dura,