On May 25, 2015, Benjamin Youngbear, a 29-year-old Native American man of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, vanished from Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico. His disappearance was considered suspicious by authorities from the outset, sparking an investigation into his whereabouts. Tragically, about six weeks later, investigators, aided by witness information, discovered his body buried in a shallow grave at a residence within the Ohkay Owingeh pueblo.
An autopsy would later confirm that he had been shot to death.
The investigation into Youngbear's murder led to the arrests of two non-Indian men, 66-year-old Jack R. Patterson, Jr., and 24-year-old Antonio Valdez. Federal prosecutors alleged that Patterson was the one who shot and killed Youngbear during a robbery that had gone wrong at Patterson's home. Valdez was accused of aiding and abetting the crime by assisting Patterson in burying Youngbear's body. Court documents also identified a third potential suspect, Antonio Valdez's father, Joey Valdez, who was alleged to have known about the killing and his son's involvement.
Despite the initial charges, the path to justice for Benjamin Youngbear took an unexpected turn. In October of the same year, the case against Antonio Valdez was dismissed due to a lack of sufficient evidence. A few months later, in January 2016, Valdez was killed in a car accident. Following this, in April 2016, federal prosecutors also dropped the murder charge against Jack R. Patterson, Jr., citing insufficient evidence to proceed with the prosecution. The U.S. Attorney's Office filed a motion to dismiss the case without prejudice, leaving the possibility of future charges should new evidence emerge.
The violent end to Benjamin Youngbear's life was the final chapter in a life marked by significant personal tragedy. Born and raised in Montana, he was sent to live at Ohkay Owingeh, his mother's tribal land, at the age of seven following her death. His Northern Cheyenne father passed away when he was twelve. In a tragic series of events just before and after his own death, his sister Yvette passed away in March 2015, and his other sister, Nicole, was killed in a hit-and-run accident in July 2015, around the same time her brother's body was being discovered.
