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In June of 2017, twenty-year-old Ashley Loring HeavyRunner vanished from the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. What began as an ordinary night at a party turned into the start of a desperate search — one that would uncover lost evidence, unanswered questions, and a family forced to take the investigation into their own hands.

This episode traces Ashley’s story: the last messages she sent, the silence that followed, and the tireless determination of her sister Kimberly and her family to bring her home. Eight years later, they’re still searching, still fighting for answers, and still holding onto hope.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Ashley Loring HeavyRunner, please contact:

-The FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office at (801) 579-1400

-The Blackfeet Tribal Police at (406) 338-4000

Tips can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov

Even the smallest detail could help bring Ashley home.

To read more about this case and see the resources used to create this episode, visit our Blog Here.

Further Reading and Resources:

• Kate Hodal, The Guardian – “A young woman vanishes. The police can’t help. Her desperate family won’t give up” (Feb 25, 2019)
• Sara Kettler, A&E True Crime – “How Ashley Loring HeavyRunner’s Disappearance Illustrates Issues With Investigating Crimes Against Indigenous Women” (Jan 11, 2022)
• ABC News – “No answers 2 years after 20-year-old student vanishes – a single case in an epidemic in Native communities” (Oct 8, 2019)
• NBC Montana – “Vanished in Montana: Ashley HeavyRunner’s family without closure nearly 8 years later”(May 29, 2025)
• Marie Claire (via murkowski.senate.gov) – “The Invisible Victims” (June 10, 2019)
• KRTV News – “Suspect arrested by FBI in Great Falls has been identified” (Aug 14, 2023)krtv.com
• FBI Missing Person Poster – Ashley Loring HeavyRunner (updated) fbi.gov

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