Good morning.  Thank you all for being here today. My name is Mehtab Syed, and I’m the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office, which covers Montana, Utah, and Idaho. 

We are grateful to Little Big Horn College for allowing us the use of this beautiful space to hold today’s important event. 

We are also grateful to the Crow Tribe Executive Branch and the Tribe’s Search and Rescue for their support and dedication to bringing Sa’Wade home. Thank you, Chairman Frank White Clay, for being with us today.  

I’m pleased to be joined by our partner law enforcement agencies: the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office.

I also want to acknowledge Sa’Wade Birdinground’s family, including her father, Wade Birdinground, and her grandparents, Wilford and Lorna Birdinground, her siblings, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins, who are here today in support of our collective efforts to bring Sa’Wade home to them, and to this community. They have remained steadfast through this difficult time. Please know, we are here with you. 

Eight months ago today, on October 6, 2024, Sa’Wade disappeared from her family home in Garryowen. This was the last time those of you who know and love Sa’Wade saw her.  

Eight months is an incomprehensible amount of time for any family to be without their child. For eight months, Sa’Wade’s family have had to know life without her. For eight months, they’ve been waiting for answers.  

Sa’Wade is only 13 years old, and we are concerned for her safety. The FBI and our law enforcement partners are doing everything we can to bring her home. 

I’ve never met Sa’Wade but I’ve learned a lot about what kind of teen she is. Quiet with strangers but outgoing with family and friends, kind, artistic – often drawing in her notebook. She is well-liked by her friends and teachers, many of whom talked about her sense of humor and how Sa’Wade makes them laugh. Sa’Wade loves to go to Subway; it is her favorite restaurant. Sa’Wade enjoyed spending time with her siblings, and they miss her dearly. 

After learning of Sa’Wade’s disappearance from BIA, members of the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team traveled to Montana to provide their specialized expertise in missing children cases.  

Since that time, the FBI has been and remains fully committed to leveraging our resources to find Sa’Wade and bring her home safely. Our agents and staff in our Billings, Resident Agency, are investigating every lead and running down every tip. To date, we have conducted dozens of interviews, searched hundreds of acres of land, and brought every technical resource to bear. 

You may have heard; the FBI is surging resources to tribal areas for Operation Not Forgotten for the third consecutive year.  

As part of this year’s initiative, the FBI has more than doubled the number of special agents working Indian Country in the Billings Resident Agency. These agents were placed where they are most needed and will focus on Sa’Wade’s disappearance and other important cases.  
We take all cases seriously and continue to make strides in identifying, acknowledging, and addressing the needs that exist in Indian Country. We are deeply aware of the responsibility that we carry in seeking justice for loved ones and will utilize our strong tribal and federal partnerships to investigate these cases. 

We want our Native American communities to know, you are not forgotten. We hear you; you matter. 

Sa’Wade is not forgotten, she matters, and we are doing everything in our power to bring her home. 

Today, we are renewing the call for the public’s help and announcing additional efforts to bring Sa’Wade home to her family and her community. 

The FBI is offering a five-thousand-dollar reward for information that leads to her recovery.  

We have established a new tip line, solely dedicated to Sa’Wade’s case. 

That number is 801-579-6195. Again, that number is 801-579-6195. 

We know someone out there knows something and we urge them to come forward with information that can help bring Sa’Wade home. No tip is too small or insignificant. 

We are confident that with the community’s help, we can reunite Sa’Wade with her family. Please reach out to the tip line, 801-579-6195. 
I will now turn over the time to Chairman White Clay for his remarks.  

Thank you.