Jewel Paul Wheeler is listed as a missing person from Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Online records identify him as a 30-year-old man at the time he disappeared, 5 feet 11 inches tall and about 131 pounds, with brown eyes and hair described in different sources as brown or black. He is described as American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic/Latino, and White/Caucasian, and he is affiliated with the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
The available public information is limited and somewhat conflicting about the exact timing of his last known contact. NamUs lists Jewel Paul Wheeler’s date of last contact as January 1, 1973, and places him in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. The Bureau of Indian Affairs page states that he was last known to be in Pine Ridge, specifically the Calico Community area, and that he last had contact with the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office on September 30, 1974. Because of this discrepancy, the exact timeline remains unclear from the public records.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services Missing and Murdered Unit lists his case as open and is seeking information that may help with the ongoing search. The case is being investigated by the BIA OJS Missing and Murdered Unit, and public case information asks anyone with tips to contact the agency.
Jewel had at least one distinctive identifying feature: a tattoo on his left arm reading “82nd Air Borne.” The Charley Project also lists him as a registered member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and repeats the same physical description, including his height, weight, brown eyes, and the left-arm tattoo.
Few circumstances surrounding Jewel’s disappearance have been made public. What is known is that he was last associated with the Pine Ridge area, near the Calico Community, and that decades have passed without a publicly reported resolution. His case remains a painful absence for those who knew him and for the wider community seeking answers.Last Seen: Jan 1, 1973
