Missing person: Arden Pepion

Arden Pepion is a 3-year-old member of the Blackfeet Tribe of Montana who was last seen on April 22, 2021, at approximately 7 p.m. in the Joe Show East area, located off U.S. Highway 89 South on the Blackfeet Reservation near the Two Medicine River. Footprints believed to be hers and a boot were found leading towards the river while in the care of her uncle.

Arden was last wearing a purple unicorn jacket, a grey sweater, and black leggings. Her uncle–HaHaax Vielle–was later charged with negligent endangerment, and his girlfriend with failure to report in a timely fashion. Arden would be seven today.

The Blackfeet Indian Reservation is home to the 17,321-member Blackfeet Nation, one of the 10 largest tribes in the US. The reservation is located in northwestern Montana. The Blackfeet reservation is rich in natural resources, including forestland and oil and gas reserves, and is home to a large number of fish and wildlife species. The reservation also has more than 518 miles of streams and 180 lakes and ponds, including eight large lakes.

Indigenous children, who are a small percentage of the population, are overrepresented as missing persons. In Montana, Native individuals make up about 6-7% of the population, yet in recent years, they have accounted for around 30% of missing persons reports.

Cases like Arden's are symptoms of a broader crisis within Indigenous communities. Indigenous children are overrepresented in missing persons reports. Too many cases go unsolved due to a lack of resources, delayed reporting, and jurisdictional conflicts.