Accountability

In the final episode of Missing Justice, Cara and Bo sit down with a former deputy director of BIA law enforcement to find out what can be done to stop the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples crisis. Then, Montana Senator Jon Tester calls for accountability in Indian country.

Word of Jerard’s not guilty verdict makes its way to the reservation. The community struggles to come to terms with losing Christy but is defiant to not let something like this happen again. Community leaders start to demand answers from BIA law enforcement as they feel less and less safe in their community. And as a result, take a major legal step to demand better resources to keep Northern Cheyenne safe. Cara and Bo unravel how the issues brought forward in Christy’s case are not unique to her, or even to Northern Cheyenne. 

Jerard’s trial is finally here. Christy’s family is hoping the jury will find him guilty of involuntary manslaughter for Christy’s death. The prosecution puts a spotlight on BIA law enforcement officers but as they take the stand, their testimony reveals serious red flags in how the investigation was conducted. Jerard’s defense argues that Christy’s behavior that night could have led to her death. It’s up to a jury..Is there enough evidence to convict Jerard?

The night Christy died, Jerard was questioned by police after picking up her body and driving to his mother's house. Cara and Bo break down that crucial interview. And, months after that fateful night, Christy's family struggles to get information from the Bureau of Indian Affairs federal agents investigating Christy's death. Tribal leaders step in to put pressure on the BIA to hold them accountable.

Cara and Bo explore Christy's eight-year-relationship with her boyfriend, Jerard Threefingers. What they find is a complicated partnership intertwined with allegations of intimate partner violence and substance abuse. Even though those closest to Christy knew what she was facing, they had trouble keeping her safe.

On March 6, 2020, Christy Woodenthigh was run over outside of her home on the Northern Cheyenne reservation in Lame Deer, Montana. She died that night. How did Christy, a mother of three, end up dead? In this episode CBS News federal government reporters Cara Korte and Bo Erickson meet with Christy's sister Aleda Spang to uncover what happened that night.

Christy Woodenthigh’s family was shocked to hear that she was dead and her body missing. When they got to Christy’s house, there were no police officers or approaching sirens. For Christy’s family and many others on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, they never trusted the law enforcement officers investigating her death. Missing Justice takes listeners inside the night Christy was killed, the federal investigation that followed, and how Christy’s case connects to the larger Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis. Listen to new episodes of this six-part series on Tuesdays.