Montana teen probably died from weather exposure, investigators say

The Montana teenager whose body was found near where she went missing on New Year’s Day most likely died of exposure to the elements, officials said.

Selena Not Afraid, 16, didn’t have any injuries suggesting she’d been assaulted, the Big Horn County Attorney said in a news release. An autopsy was conducted Wednesday.

Not Afraid disappeared while returning home from a New Year’s party with friends. The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office said the girl walked away when the vehicle she was in broke down near a rest stop.

Her remains were found Monday less than a mile from the rest area between Hardin and Billings, during a systematic search.

The girl, a member of Crow Nation, hadn’t been dressed for extended exposure to cold weather, the Montana Department of Justice has said.

Although authorities recovered Not Afraid’s purse, her cell phone was missing and not turned on during the initial searches.

Officials believed at the time that someone might have picked up her phone and taken it somewhere else, Sheriff Lawrence Big Hair said.

Investigators are waiting for toxicology results before making a final determination on the cause of death.