D. Sean Rowley
Cherokee Phoenix
GROVE, Okla. – Authorities with the Quapaw Nation Marshal Service released a statement Feb. 5 that the discovery of human remains near Cardin on Jan. 31 resulted in the recovery of Aubrey Dameron, a Cherokee Nation citizen who went missing on March 9, 2019.
The Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office, which conducted the collection, examination and identification, stated in a release that the condition of the remains suggested they had been at the site of discovery “for an undetermined period of time.”
No statements from authorities made any mention of foul play or the cause of death, and the investigation into Dameron’s case continues.
Several agencies took part in the investigation, among them the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service.
“Over a span of several years, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service has been committed to helping find Aubrey,” said Acting Marshal Daniel Mead. “Marshal Service investigators and Deputy Marshals spent countless hours in recent years tracking down leads all across the United States, looking for new information that would help solve this case and bring Aubrey home. I want to thank everyone who has worked hard to find Aubrey, from the numerous law enforcement agencies to family, friends and countless volunteers.”
Mead further said that the finding of Dameron was not the end of the law enforcement agencies’ work.
“The recovery of Aubrey by the Quapaw Nation Marshal Service in Ottawa County brings an end to the search, but our department will remain steadfast in working alongside Quapaw Nation law enforcement, the (Bureau of Indian Affairs) Missing and Murdered Unit and the FBI to help solve this case and bring justice to Aubrey, her family and her friends,” Mead said.
Pam Smith, Dameron’s aunt, organized searches and prodded investigators throughout the nearly six years Dameron was missing. Smith and others who knew Dameron were consistent in their statements that she would never hurt herself and had no reason to disappear.
Dameron, a Grove resident and age 25 when she disappeared, was found in the Picher-Cardin area, about a 40-minute drive from where she was last seen. She reportedly left her mother’s home on March 9 at about 3:30 a.m., apparently to meet somebody. Her cell phone GPS last “pinged” at 3:42 a.m. and only about 100 yards from her mother’s house. Smith said all attempts to reach Dameron through her phone were unsuccessful.
That was according to the investigation, but Smith said she also heard different stories about the disappearance. Smith stated her belief that a hate crime may have been committed because Dameron was transgender. She began identifying as a woman during her teens. Smith also claimed to see inertia among some investigators who believed Dameron might be voluntarily missing due to her “lifestyle.”
Dameron’s disappearance eventually drew nationwide attention. Sometimes it was on internet sleuth sites where fact could quickly conflate with rumor and speculation. But her case was also among those cited in the awareness campaigns for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, which have been effectively communicating the disproportionate dangers faced by Native Americans, particularly women and children.
The Dameron case was also one of two involving missing CN citizens that resulted in Oklahoma’s Kasey Alert system. Similar to Amber Alerts for children and Silver Alerts for the elderly, Kasey Alerts provide immediate information to the public concerning adults in danger.
When the legislation was first introduced, the idea was to call such notices Aubrey alerts. Smith said there was backlash among some on Capitol Hill who said they would not support the bill if the alerts were named for a transgender person. They are instead named for Russell Kasey, a CN citizen who disappeared in 2016. He also went missing for six years before his remains were discovered in Seminole only a short distance from where he was last seen.
Smith said the importance of the legislation superseded any disappointment about changing the name.
“I really hope it passes because it will cover those age 18-59 that go missing,” Smith said in 2021 as the bill awaited a vote in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. “It won’t just benefit Indigenous people, but non-Indigenous people as well. Too many people continue to go missing and get murdered. This can help keep that from happening.”
CN Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. released a statement shortly after the announcement of the recovery of Dameron.
“After nearly six years missing, our Cherokee Nation citizen Aubrey Dameron has been recovered today. Our thoughts and prayers are with her Aunt Pam and Uncle Christian, who always put Aubrey’s missing persons case, and all MMIP cases, in the forefront where it belonged,” Hoskin said. “Aubrey, who was extremely proud of her Cherokee culture, had a bright future and her young life was cut too short. Our marshals led many searches for her, erected billboards to help find her and helped raise awareness on her case, and that of many others over these past few years. We know her family is in mourning, and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and I, and the entire tribe, offer our condolences and support to her family and friends during this difficult time. Rest in peace dear Aubrey.”
According to the news release distributed by the Quapaw Nation Marshal Service, the investigation into Dameron’s death is being led by the Quapaw Nation Marshal ServiceInvestigative Division in close collaboration with the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, BIA Missing and Murdered Unit and the FBI.
