Matthew Rattlesnake Grant was a young man who cared for his younger siblings and was anticipating the birth of his own child. The 21-year-old member of the Blackfeet Nation would never get to meet his son, who was born six months after his death. In late 2016, Matthew, a Native American man, had recently returned to his hometown of Browning, Montana, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation after spending time living in Canada. His family remembers him as a loving person with a good sense of humor who was cheated out of the chance to watch his son grow up.
Shortly after his return to Browning in December 2016, Matthew went missing. His family, deeply worried, organized their own search efforts. For weeks, they endured sub-zero temperatures and blizzard conditions, looking for him without assistance from local law enforcement.
His aunt, Rhonda Grant-Connelly, was sidelined by a knee replacement but spent her days and nights on the phone, coordinating the search and calling Matthew’s phone, hoping for an answer. The experience, she said, "destroyed" her.
The family's desperate search ended in heartbreak on New Year's Eve. On the evening of December 31, 2016, Matthew’s body was found in an alley between the College Homes and South Glacier Homes neighborhoods in Browning. His aunt described the scene, saying someone thought it was a Christmas tree lying there before realizing it was a person. Matthew was found in a fetal position with his shirt pulled up, as if he had been dragged by his arms and discarded.
The official investigation into Matthew’s homicide is being handled by the FBI's Salt Lake City Division, the Shelby Resident Agency, and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services. Despite the years that have passed, the case has grown cold, and no arrests have ever been made. The lack of resolution has been a source of ongoing anguish for his family, who believe people in the community hold the key to solving his murder.
The tragedy of Matthew's death and the frustrating lack of justice spurred his aunt, Rhonda Grant-Connelly, to become a powerful advocate. She founded the grassroots organization Blackfeet MMIP to help other families searching for missing loved ones and to bring attention to the broader crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. The organization assists with searches, provides resources like meals and gas money, and works to bridge the jurisdictional gaps between tribal, county, and federal law enforcement that often impede investigations.
As of June 2025, Matthew Rattlesnake Grant's murder remains unsolved. His family continues to honor his memory through awareness walks and community events, refusing to let his case be forgotten. "I'm not going to give up. I'm not going away," Grant-Connelly said. "Like I said, it’s nine years and I have to, I'll take it to the grave with me." In 2025, a new special agent was assigned to the case, bringing a renewed sense of hope that progress could be made. The family urges anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward.
A $10,000 reward is offered for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible for Matthew’s death. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the FBI's Salt Lake City Field Office at (833) 345-7872 or Special Agent Brandon Prete directly at (801) 579-1400.
