Richele Lee BEAR Missing Person Case

Richele Lee

BEAR

35

22

66 inches

66 inches

121 lbs

121 lbs

Indigenous

Female

In the late summer of 2013, a 22-year-old Indigenous woman named Richele Lee Bear vanished from Regina, Saskatchewan. She was last seen in August, with some accounts placing her last known whereabouts on August 9th leaving a residence on Rae Street, and others indicating she was seen at a relative's birthday party on August 20. Her family officially reported her missing on September 5, 2013, sparking a search and an investigation into her sudden and worrying disappearance. Richele was described as having brown eyes, and black or brown shoulder-length hair. She had several distinct features, including a tattoo of a heart and teardrop on her left calf and various scars on her forehead, left arm, and left hand. Her mother remembered her as a beautiful daughter with a kind heart who always had a smile on her face and was willing to help others no matter her own struggles. What began as a missing person case transitioned into a homicide investigation, even without the discovery of Richele's body. In May 2014, authorities charged a local man, Clayton Bo Eichler, with the first-degree murder of Richele Lee Bear and with offering an indignity to a human body. This charge came after Eichler had already been arrested for the murder of another young Indigenous woman, 21-year-old Kelly Nicole Goforth, whose body had been found in September 2013. The investigation into Richele's disappearance uncovered disturbing evidence on Eichler's electronic devices, including images that appeared to show a deceased Richele. Though no known connection existed between Richele and Kelly Goforth, the community was shaken by the realization that one individual was believed to be responsible for both of their deaths. In September 2016, Clayton Bo Eichler pleaded guilty to the murders of both Richele Bear and Kelly Goforth and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for twenty years. While this brought a legal conclusion to the case, it offered little solace to Richele's grieving family, as Eichler claimed he was addicted to meth when he killed her and could not remember where he left her body. To this day, Richele's remains have not been found. Her mother, Michele Bear, has continued to fight for her daughter, advocating for a search of the local landfill where she believes Richele's body may be. In a heart-wrenching plea for closure, she has even undertaken a hunger strike to compel action. The case of Richele Lee Bear is a tragic story of a young life violently taken, and while her killer is behind bars, the absence of her remains leaves her family in a prolonged state of grief, unable to lay her to rest and still searching for answers and a sense of peace.

Pierce Ears Scar Forehead, Teardrop shape; right upper in hairline (25mm) Scar Left Hand, On the top (38mm) Scar Left Upper Arm, A round inoculation scar (10mm) Tattoo Left Calf, Heart and teardrop

Aug 09, 2013

Regina

Saskatchewan

Regina Police Service Cold Case Unit at

Saskatchewan

(306) 777-6500

(306) 777-6500

Law Enforcement

RM13052442

Regina Police Service Cold Case Unit at

Brown

Brown

Brown

Build: Slender/Thin; Hair details: Straight, Shoulder

No