On a summer evening in Wapato, Washington, 18-year-old Rosalita 'Rose' Longee was last seen on June 30, 2015. That night, she had gone to her grandmother's home, where she had been raised since the age of two. A rule in the household prohibited anyone from being there while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and when Rosalita appeared to be high, her grandmother gently turned her away, asking her to return when she was sober.
Rosalita left her grandmother's residence around 10:00 p.m. and has not been seen or heard from since.
Rosalita was a member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes in Montana but had grown up on the Yakama Reservation in Washington. In her younger years, she enjoyed school, particularly math and art, and had aspirations of becoming a nurse. However, as a teenager, she began to struggle and eventually dropped out of high school at 16, though she had plans to get her GED. She had a history of substance abuse and had been in and out of treatment since she was a teen. Despite these challenges, she was described as a helpful and hard-working presence at home. At the time of her disappearance, she was described as a Native American female with brown hair and brown eyes, standing between 5'5' and 5'8' tall, and weighing between 125 and 140 pounds. She has distinctive scars on both of her wrists and her chest.
The disappearance of Rosalita Longee is a painful example of the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in the United States, with Washington state having one of the highest numbers of cases. Her family, particularly her grandmother, has been tireless in their efforts to find answers, frequently searching homeless encampments and shelters and following up on any potential leads. The Yakama Nation Tribal Police are the lead investigators on her case. Despite the years that have passed, her family remains hopeful for answers, and her case remains an active investigation as they continue to seek information that could lead to her whereabouts.Last Seen: Jun 30, 2015
