The FBI Child Abduction & Rapid Deployment team has been called to help in the search for missing Hardin teen Selena Not Afraid, according to Big County Sheriff Pete Big Hair. The team responds when a person under the age of 18 is believed to be in danger.
The team will be checking several areas throughout the day Wednesday, he said.
Not Afraid was last seen at an I-90 rest stop between Billings and Hardin after returning home from a party in Billings.
The Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office has searched an area below the Rims, and law enforcement has returned to the site of the party at 904 Lewis Avenue in Billings to look for Not Afraid's phone or other items, Big Hair said.
On Tuesday morning, Not Afraid's friends, classmates, and teachers traveled together to the I-90 rest stop where she was last seen to come together and spread the word.
The Hardin High School students said they were rallying together to raise awareness and spread the word about Not Afraid, who's been missing since New Year's Eve. They're hoping their message grows hope throughout the community.
"I just want to think of a good outcome and not think of the worst, because I know she is still alive," said Terrel Alden, a junior at Hardin High School. Fellow classmate Andrea Dickenson added, "She was one of my best friends. I saw her on a daily basis."
Not Afraid was last seen at a rest stop between Billings and Hardin near I-90 mile marker 474. She had apparently wandered away from broken-down vehicle while returning home from a New Year's Eve party in Billings.
Big Horn County authorities have not identified any suspects, but Sheriff Big Hair has said he's heard "conflicting stories" from witnesses about what happened.
"There are people out there who are evil and trying to get at us as a community. We don't know. We have to be safe," Dickenson said. "With the drugs and alcohol, it's become so normalized in this society today, and especially on the reservation that's treating it like it's not a big deal and it's bad."
Not Afraid's friends and fellow classmates said it's not OK. "There's so many kids that I know that have gotten into bad accidents or have gone missing in similar situations and no one is doing anything about it. So many women are going missing or being murdered and it's not OK," Dickenson said.
An overall common message: Be safe. Know your surroundings, and don't put yourself in harm's way. "When you go out just take a look around, and realize who you are with and who will keep you safe when you go out," warned Alden.
Hope was a word that still lives strong in the search for Selena Not Afraid.
(JANUARY 1, 2020) The Montana Department of Justice on Wednesday evening issued a Missing-Endangered Person Advisory for 16- year old Selina Shelley Faye Not Afraid. The MEPA was issued on behalf of the Big Horn County Sheriff's Office.
Not Afraid was last seen at 2 pm on Wednesday at the eastbound Interstate 90 rest area between Billings and Hardin near mile marker 474. She left a disabled vehicle at the rest area and was seen walking into an adjacent field to the rest area.
She is possibly intoxicated and is not dressed for the weather conditions. She was last seen wearing a black coat, grey sweater, blue jeans, and grey ankle boots. She is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 133 pounds. She has a scar near her mouth and a tattoo of a cross on her middle finger.
If you have any information on Selina, please call the Big Horn County Sheriff's Office at 665-9780 or call 911.
