In the winter of 1998, the body of 33-year-old Lauren Two Bulls, a Native American man and an artist, was discovered in Rapid City, South Dakota. His death was one in a disturbing series of fatalities that occurred between 1998 and 2000, leaving the community unsettled and searching for answers. Many of the deceased were, like Two Bulls, Native American and experiencing homelessness.
Lauren Two Bulls' body was found on December 9, 1998, a day after another man, Randelle Two Crow, was
also found deceased. An investigation revealed that Two Bulls had an extremely high blood alcohol content at the time of his death. His passing, along with at least ten others during that two-year span, was officially deemed "unexplained." The majority of these individuals were found in or near Rapid Creek, a trout stream that winds through the city.
The string of deaths cast a pall over Rapid City, particularly within the Native American community. Many residents and family members of the deceased harbored suspicions of foul play and expressed concerns that the investigations were not as thorough as they should have been. Rumors circulated, pointing to the possibility of racially motivated attacks by young white men on the vulnerable homeless population along the creek. One individual even recounted a harrowing escape after being held underwater by assailants. These fears and suspicions were amplified by the fact that many of the victims were found face down in the creek.
Despite the community's outcry and the troubling pattern of deaths, law enforcement agencies, including the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, the Rapid City Police Department, and even the FBI, reviewed the cases and concluded that there was no evidence to suggest criminal activity. Then-Pennington County Sheriff Don Holloway, however, publicly stated that he did not believe all the deaths were accidental, given the frequency and abrupt cessation of the incidents. To this day, the death of Lauren Two Bulls remains officially unresolved, with no arrests made and no suspects ever named. The lack of closure has left a lasting scar on his family and the community, a somber chapter in the city's history.
