Shauntae Hope Marks

Posted: 05/10/2012 4:50 pm
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Police in South Dakota are in a desperate search for a teenage girl who threatened to harm herself before she went missing.

Shauntae Hope Marks, 15, was last seen on the evening of May 4, at the Mary Manor apartment complex in Ft. Thompson. A statewide endangered person's alert was issued for the teen by the Fort Thompson Police Department on Wednesday afternoon. According to the alert, Marks is distraught over a recent relationship and has made threats about harming herself.

Calls made by The Huffington Post to the investigator in charge of Marks' case were not immediately returned Thursday. A dispatcher did, however, confirm Marks is still missing and said authorities have received no information about her whereabouts.

Marks is described as a Native American female, who is 5-foot-7 and weighs about 170 pounds. She has black shoulder length hair and brown eyes and wears glasses. Marks was last seen wearing blue jeans, a white shirt with strips, a black and gray hooding, and blue Etnies brand tennis shoes.

Anyone with information on Shauntae Marks whereabouts is asked to call Fort Thompson police at 605-245-2351 or 888-337-2388.

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Posted: Oct 20, 2012 6:44 PM CDT
Updated: Oct 20, 2012 8:06 PM CDT
By Bridget Bennett - email

A body was found in the town of Fort Thompson on the Crow Creek Reservation Friday morning by two teenage boys.  

The community believes the body is that of missing 15-year-old Shauntae Hope Marks.  

Marks has been missing for more than 5 months; her family last saw her on Friday, May 4, at her home in Fort Thompson.  

The Center for Missing and Exploited Children identifies Marks as an endangered teen saying she was upset over a relationship and said she was going to hurt herself.  

The community refers to the area where the body was found as the sand pit.  It's located right down the street from Marks's home.  

People who live in the area also say a lot of people walk or drive through the sand pit—it's the wooded area just off a residential street.  

The city conducted a thorough search of the entire area when Marks first went missing in May; however, some members of Marks's family believe she has been in the sand pit the whole time.  

There are a lot of unanswered questions right now:  

We don't know how long the body has been in the area.  

We also don't know if the body is Marks.  

Authorities have not given us any answers yet but the family said the body is in Rapid City for an autopsy.  It's unclear if the family has spoken to authorities yet or not.  

The Fort Thompson police did say the FBI is handling the case.  They have not released an official statement at this time.  

We will continue to monitor this story and update you when we receive an official report from authorities.

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Shauntae Hope Marks: Body Found In Sandbar Could Be Missing Teen

Posted: 10/22/2012 9:48 am

Police in South Dakota say a body found in a sandbar could be that of missing teenager Shauntae Hope Marks.
A body found in a sandbar could be that of missing teenager Shauntae Hope Marks, South Dakota police said.

Two teenage boys found the body Friday, according to Fort Thompson police. According to KSFY News, relatives of Marks said they were told the body had been in the sandbar for some time.

Marks, 15, was last seen on the evening of May 4, at the Mary Manor apartment complex in Ft. Thompson. A statewide endangered person's alert was issued for the teen. According to the alert, Marks was distraught over a recent relationship and had made threats about harming herself.

The body found Friday was taken to Rapid City for autopsy and positive identification. The FBI is reportedly assisting local police in the investigation.

In the initial police report, Marks was described as a Native American female, 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds. She has black shoulder length hair and brown eyes and wears glasses. Marks was last seen wearing blue jeans, a white shirt with stripes, a black and gray hooded sweatshirt and blue Etnies brand tennis shoes.

According to KSFY, Marks would be a 10th grader this school year. Her family told the news station that she lived to draw and wanted to be an artist.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Fort Thompson police at 605-245-2351 or 888-337-2388.

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Published November 20, 2012, 02:49 PM

Missing girl's body found
Officials positively identified human remains found at the Crow Creek Indian Reservation as that of Shauntae Hope Marks. The 15-year-old went missing from Fort Thompson on May 4.

Officials positively identified human remains found at the Crow Creek Indian Reservation as that of Shauntae Hope Marks. The 15-year-old went missing from Fort Thompson on May 4.

On Oct. 19, Crow Creek reservation residents found a body in Fort Thompson in a wooded area on the reservation. Initially, the body remains could not be identified.

The the FBI became involved in the investigation and has been working a joint case with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Crow Creek Agency. Marks was last seen in the afternoon of May 4 at Mary Manor apartment complex in Fort Thompson. At the time, authorities thought Marks may have been distraught over a recent relationship and threatened to harm herself.

The FBI and BIA continue to closely work on this death investigation.

Positive identification was made through Bode Laboratories, a forensic laboratory associated with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

If anyone has any information regarding this matter, they are requested to contact the FBI, Pierre Resident Agency, at (605) 224 1331 or the BIA, Crow Creek Agency (605) 245-2311.

-- From a Minneapolis FBI Field Office news release

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No foul play suspected in Ft. Thompson teen's death

Posted: Nov 29, 2012 10:22 PM CST
Updated: Nov 29, 2012 10:22 PM CST
By Denise DePaolo - email


The body of 15-year-old Shauntae Hope Marks was found last month in Fort Thompson, and KSFY learned today that her family has received autopsy results.

Shauntae's mother tells KSFY no foul play is suspected, and officials believe the teen may have taken her own life. They also believe that Shauntae's body was in the wooded area where it was found since she disappeared in May.

Services will be held for Marks over the next week.

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That's it? I don't buy it. HOW did she allegedly take her own life?

December 4, 2012 10:23 am

Funeral services for Shauntae Hope Marks, 15, of Fort Thompson, SD will be 10:00 am Monday, December 3, 2012 at the Fort Thompson Tribal Gym in Fort Thompson, SD with burial in the St. Catherine’s Catholic Cemetery at West Bend, SD. Wake services will be Saturday and Sunday evenings at the Fort Thompson Tribal Gym in Fort Thompson.

Shauntae Hope Marks was on February 21, 1997 to Skyla Marks and Wilmer Patterson, Jr., in Albuquerque, NM.  She spent her first year of her life in Albuquerque, NM, then moved to Bismarck, ND for three years of her life was spent in Fort Thompson, SD.  She attended grades 1st through 5th at the Crow Creek Elementary School and 6th, 7th, and part of 8th grade at St. Joseph Indian School.  From 8th grade to present she was an Honor Roll Student at Crow Creek Tribal School. 

Shauntae excelled well in school with a lot of achievements.  She attended the Gear Up Program in 2011 at the School of Mines. At the time she went missing she had an opportunity to attend “People to People” in Sicily, Italy, and Greece in the summer of 2012. 
She had several hobbies, some which included listening to music, going for walks and drawing.  She enjoyed spending time with her younger cousins especially Pierce Goings and Hialle Middle Tent. 
She attended church at Dakota Wesleyan or Diamond Willow.  She was a very kind hearted girl who was willing to help when she could.  In her free time she spent with her special friends: Jackie Rhodes and Katie Kirkie.  She looked up to these two friends and had great deal of respect for them. 
She was also very close to Pearl Kirkie who she called Grandma Pearl.  Throughout her life she made many friends. 
Shauntae passed away on May 4, 1012 at Fort Thompson, SD at the age of 15 years.  She is survived by her mother Skyla Marks of Fort Thompson; her father Wilmer Patterson of Raton, NM; three brothers Gaylord St. John of Fort Thompson, Dawson Donner of Fort Thompson, and Felix Patterson of Raton, NM; a sister Stacy Patterson of Raton, NM; and a cousin Vilencia St. John; a special friend Steven Chief of Pine Ridge, SD; grandmothers Rose Big Eagle of Stephan, SD and Marie Sexton of Lower Brule, SD; and numerous other grandmas, uncles, cousins, and relatives. 
Preceding her in death were her grandfathers Raymond Marks, Sr. and Wilmer Patterson, Sr.


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