Mariah Roundtree 17 & Jalen Melette 16,(Both Teens F/Dead) Msg 02/08/09, Wakpala SD

[sarahhod]

Car of missing teens found on reservation

Darkness halts search, which will resume Friday

By Andrea J. Cook, Journal staff | Friday, February 20, 2009
The mother of one of two Wakpala teenagers missing for 11 days said law enforcement searchers have told her there's a chance they may not be found alive.

Mariah Roundtree, 17, and Jalen Mellette, 16, were last seen Feb. 8. The teens' abandoned car was located Wednesday, stuck in mud on a private dirt road about 15 miles from where they were last seen on Promise Road, according to Mariah's mother, Rhonda Roundtree.


The search intensified after finding the car Wednesday and was to resume Friday after being suspended for the night Thursday.

It was cold and raining hard the night the teens were traveling, after dropping off Jalen's 5-year-old brother at his father's home, Roundtree said. Neither teen was dressed for cold weather. Mariah is five months pregnant.

Roundtree said it appears Jalen may have taken a wrong turn, and the car became stuck in the mud. At night, the lights of Mobridge look deceptively close.

Officials theorize the teens may have abandoned the car and started walking for help.

Roundtree said a landowner had spotted the car Monday, Feb. 9, but was not aware that the teens were missing until Wednesday, when he reported the car's location to the Dewey County sheriff.

Thursday's search efforts included officers from Dewey and Corson counties and the Cheyenne River and Standing Rock reservations.

"Everyone has really come together," Roundtree said Thursday afternoon. "It's good to see."

While she prays for Mariah's and Jalen's safe recovery, Roundtree admitted that she is bracing herself for the worst.

"Please pray for us," she said.

Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com


http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/02/20/news/local/doc499da5b523f8a207094132.txt

[Roamer]

Praying they found somewhere safe and warm, and will be found soon.

[Faith]

Search continues for missing teens

By Kayla Gahagan, Journal staff | Sunday, February 22, 2009

Volunteers on foot, ATVs and in a plane continued the search for two missing Wakpala teens Sunday afternoon.

Mariah Roundtree, 17, and Jalen Mellette, 16, were last seen two weeks ago Sunday. The teens' abandoned car was located Wednesday, stuck in mud on a private dirt road about 15 miles from where they were last seen on Promise Road.

It was cold and raining hard the night the teens were traveling after dropping off Jalen's 5-year-old brother at his father's home. Neither teen was dressed for cold weather. Mariah is five months pregnant, according to her mother, Rhonda Roundtree.

Roundtree said between 25 and 30 people came out to help look for the teens this weekend.

"I appreciate those who are here," she said.

The authorities have warned that the two might not be found alive.

"They say when we do find her, that the animals are out here, and they're hungry," she said. "They wanted me to be prepared."

Roundtree said it appears Jalen may have taken a wrong turn, and the car became stuck in the mud. Officials theorize the teens may have abandoned the car and started walking for help.

But Roundtree said she's having a hard time believing that they would have gotten out of the car, which had a quarter of a tank of gas and was working.

"I don't believe the walking theory," she said. "Why would they have left the warmth and safety of the car?"

She has studied the area and the car, and it looks as if someone parked the car up against the fence, she said.

"It looks as if somebody was hiding it, like they parked it," she said.

Sunday's search efforts included officers from multiple counties, and efforts from the Cheyenne River and Standing Rock reservations.

Roundtree said there is a still a $1,000 reward for anyone who can provide information in the disappearance of Mariah.

The search gets harder as the days pass, Roundtree said, and the stress and anxiety of not finding them is overwhelming.

"We've lost so much time."

Anyone with information about the teens is asked to call the Mobridge Police Department at 845-5000, BIA Police Department 701-854-7241, Eagle Butte Police Department at 964-2155 or the nearest law enforcement agency. Calls also may be made to the TIPS Hotline at 800-745-0734.

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/02/22/news/top/doc49a1e9ba3e3ae894921637.txt

[Faith]

Feb 22 2009 6:53 PM

I am sorry to hear about Mariah. I know it is hard to but try to focus on the good times not the current time. Imma keep you and your family in my prayers.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=99539882


SO MUCH PAIN (RIP MARIAH ROUNDTRRE)

[Faith]

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/94/l_76fd796e32531a928c60bfc26153bb9a.jpg

MySpace URL:

www.myspace.com/riah2sexii

[Faith]

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/53/m_64c856a53bc945189ec4baed03e18a79.jpg (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=427951856)
http://x.myspacecdn.com/modules/common/static/img/clear.gif

Male
16 years old
WAKPALA, South Dakota
United States



Last Login: 11/28/2008
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=427951856

[Faith]

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/11/l_e189d675db974c8bc890440474fc75ec.jpg

[Faith]

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/66/l_c3af537d97a17eb77b2a0c3f96586614.jpg

[Faith]

02/14/08 MARIAH ROUNDTREE IS MISSING http://www.letstalkhonestly.mymprofitsystems.com/f/doc49949b2bd83e4478253091_%282%29.jpg


The public is being asked to help locate two Wakpala South Dakota area teens who have been missing since 02/08/2008 not seen since 5 p.m. Sunday on Promise Road between Promise and Whitehorse on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.
Missing are Mariah Roundtree, 17, and Jalen Mellette, 16. They were in a maroon, 2001 Chevrolet Malibu with no license plates. A dealer's sticker from Stan Puklich Cheverolet is on the trunk.
Mariah is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds. She has brown hair and dark brown eyes and is Native American and African American. She was wearing a white South Pole hooded sweatshirt with a brown and green front, blue jeans and black and silver Nike Air Jordan basketball shoes.
Jalen is 6 feet, 1 inch, weighs 130 pounds and has black eyes and hair. A Native American, he was wearing a white Echo sweater, blue jeans and blue and white Nike basketball shoes.
Anyone with information about the teens is asked to call the Mobridge Police Department at 845-5000, BIA Police Department 701-854-7241, Eagle Butte Police Department at 964-2155 or the nearest law enforcement agency. Calls also may be made to the TIPS Hotline at 800-745-0734.


http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/missingblackwomen.html

[Faith]

http://www.kxmb.com/UserFiles/9/2/19/medium_%7B0CB7C01F-E3D0-4BAA-A71C-73FB0CD138A3%7DMISSING.JPG

Mobridge teenagers are reported missing and authorities are asking for you help to locate them.

17-year-old Mariah A. Roundtree and 16-year-old Jalen J. Mellette were last seen Sunday February 8th at a home between Promise and Whitehorse South Dakota.

Roundtree is five months pregnant and has a learning disability.

She's 5'6" 125 pounds with brown hair and dark brown eyes. Mellette is 6'1" 130 pounds with black hair and black eyes.

The two were last seen after taking Mellette's half brother to his home near Promise about 5pm February 8th.

They were driving a 4-door 2001 Chevy Malibumaroon in color. There are no license plates.

The vehicle does have a Stan Pucklich dealer sticker on the trunk. There is rear bumper damage on the right side.

If you have any information you are asked to call the BIA Police Department at 701-854-7241.

You can leave anonymous tips toll free at 800-745-0734. | save this article / add to your favorites list

http://www.kxmb.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=334534

[Faith]

Feb 22 2009 6:53 PM

I am sorry to hear about Mariah. I know it is hard to but try to focus on the good times not the current time. Imma keep you and your family in my prayers.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=99539882


SO MUCH PAIN (RIP MARIAH ROUNDTRRE)

I sent a message to this young ladies myspace and asked: Has Mariah & Jalen been found?



her reply.

mariah was been found but they havent found jalen yet



:1222423::1222423::1222423:

[Micky_Spill]

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/94/l_76fd796e32531a928c60bfc26153bb9a.jpg

MySpace URL:

www.myspace.com/riah2sexii (http://www.myspace.com/riah2sexii)


First I have heard of this case, is Mariah dead? Appears that way on Myspace or is it unconfirmed?

http://www.mobridgepolice.org/alerts/

[Faith]

First I have heard of this case, is Mariah dead? Appears that way on Myspace or is it unconfirmed?

http://www.mobridgepolice.org/alerts/

Yes, Mariah is dead according to her friend on myspace. I have been corresponding with her. Her boyfriend, Jalen, has not been located yet.

I cannot confirm this with an article yet.

[Faith]

I cannot find conformation yet.

My prayers are with the families.

[packy]

I couldn't find any confirmation either.

My prayers for their families.

[Faith]

Missing teens found dead

Feb 23 2009 11:32AM

South Dakota teens have been found frozen to death.

17-year-old Mariah Roundtree and 16-year-old Jalen Mellette had been missing since February 9th.

Roundtree was five months pregnant and had a learning disability. Both were from Wakpala, South Dakota.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs isn't releasing much information right now.

They say the two were found frozen to death Sunday near their car. They would NOT say where they were found in South Dakota.

Officials are meeting with students and families in the Wakpala area today to help them deal with the tradgedy.

http://www.kxmc.com/News/336065.asp

[Faith]

RIP Mariah and Baby & Jalen :1222423:


My prayers are with the family & friends. :innocent0001:

[Roamer]

May God bless and keep them all.

My condolences to their families.

[Nut44x4]

Bodies of missing Wakpala teens found
By Kayla Gahagan, Journal staff | Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Two missing Wakpala teenagers whose bodies were found Sunday loved listening to their iPods and hanging out with their friends, a school official said Monday.

Mariah Roundtree, 17, and Jalen Mellette, 16, were last seen alive more than two weeks ago. Their bodies were located early Sunday evening, according to Standing Rock tribal Police Chief Mike Hayes.

Elmer Four Dance, special agent with the BIA District Headquarters in Aberdeen, said Roundtree's body was found about 5 p.m. Sunday and Mellette's body was found an hour later.

The teens disappeared Feb. 8. Her mother, Rhonda Roundtree, contacted area media on Feb. 12 after appealing earlier to law enforcement agencies about her missing person report. She and friends instigated a community volunteer search for the teens starting Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, and a relative offered a $1,000 reward for information about the girl.

After a landowner reported seeing the teens' car on Feb. 18, authorities and volunteers from South Dakota and North Dakota joined in a concentrated effort, searching by plane, all-terrain vehicles and on foot.

The teens' abandoned and locked car was stuck in mud on a private dirt road about 15 miles from where they were last seen on Promise Road.

Both bodies were found on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, Four Dance said. They were four miles from the car, which was found on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.

It was cold and raining hard the night they were traveling and neither teen was dressed for cold weather, according to relatives. Mariah was five months pregnant, according to her mother.

Authorities believe they might have been walking toward a casino to get help.

"Everything we've seen is consistent with exposure, but we can't rule anything out until we get the autopsy reports," Four Dance said. The autopsies are scheduled for Wednesday.

Francine Hall, principal at Wakpala High School, told the Aberdeen American News that Mariah and Jalen were good kids who will be greatly missed by students and staff. Both were juniors at the school.

"I knew that when I greeted them both, I would receive a respectful and cheery response," Hall said.

Hayes and other officers spent most of the day Monday at the Wakpala school, offering grief counseling and support.

"There were some emotions this morning," he said.

Hall said Hayes planned to tell students and staff that no foul play was suspected. She said both teens will be remembered positively.

Mellette was an honor student with excellent school attendance, who played on the varsity boys' basketball team.

"He was a respectful student to adults who work at the school and to his peers," Hall said. "He was somewhat of a jokester as well. ... Jalen trusted adults and was comfortable asking questions to find the answers."

Roundtree moved to Wakpala last spring from Milwaukee.

"(She) was not a happy camper having been uprooted from family and friends and a familiar school, but she made friends, and by the start of school in the fall she and Jalen were going together," Hall said. "Her happiness showed on her face. ... Staff here at the school have remarked that what they will remember about Mariah is that she had a sweet smile."

Mobridge Police Chief Mike Nehls said the Northern Oahe Rescue team was involved in the search and recovery effort Sunday.

"Sunday was a difficult day for everyone," he said. "It's not the outcome we were wanting. I can't imagine what the family is going through."
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/02/24/news/top/doc49a2ce2318de7785638571.txt

[packy]

Oh so sorry. May they rest in peace together.

My condolences to their families.

[sarahhod]

Families In Mourning After Teens, Unborn Grandchild Found Dead

Kevin Gribble
2/23/2009

It`s the ending many feared and no one hoped for. Two missing Wakpala, South Dakota teens were found frozen to death Sunday night. The couple had been missing since February 8. So far authorities are being tight-lipped about the investigation, but that`s not stopping the heartbroken parents of Mariah Roundtree, 17, and Jalen Mellette, 16, from saying what they think happened.

The grief-stricken eyes of Elen Kills Small say it all.

"There was a call made to me and told me they found my son. He was close to the Sitting Bull Monument," she says.

The families say Jalen Mellette was found frozen into the ground near a river, face down and shirtless, Sunday evening. They say his pregnant girlfriend, Mariah Roundtree, was found about a mile and a half away.

Mariah`s mom Rhonda Roundtree explains, "She was laying on her back with her fist up in the air and her hands were clinched and she was squeezing her hands, and she had a look on her face like she had been shivering and she was cold."

It was the worst possible ending anyone could have imagined: three dead and countless questions. Family members say they believe the teens got lost while driving to Promise, South Dakota.

"The car was so far out in the field. I couldn`t even understand why they would turn that way," says Jalen`s mom, Elen Kills Small.

For two weeks they and groups of volunteers searched the region for clues. Mariah`s mother struggles to maintain composure as she explains how close they had come at one point.

"We missed them by one turn off. They were down a road and had we made a left turn, we would have been able to find them," says Rhonda Roundtree.

The families say both kids were well-behaved, and that they do not think the pair ran away.

Kills Small says, "They were looking forward to having this baby. They were both working on trying to work part time. They were working on getting a place of their own. They were both going to school. They were together every day. Everybody in this community knew Mariah and Jalen."

NBC North Dakota News has not had any official response from authorities, but this isn`t the last you`ll hear about this tragedy. We`ll continue to investigate and bring you more details as they`re released. In the meantime, a benefit to help pay for Mariah`s burial has been set up at Wells Fargo. You can call (605) 845-3651 to help.

http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=27300

[Amusedtdth]

What a tragic shame, God bless and keep.
My condolances to the family.

[sarahhod]

Exposure Suspected in Teens` Deaths

2/24/2009


http://www.kfyrtv-videos.com/UploadFile2/teens(1).jpg

An investigator says two Wakpala teenagers found dead after a two-week disappearance may have died of exposure to the weather.

The bodies of Mariah Roundtree, 17, and Jalen Mellette, 16, were found Sunday a few miles from their vehicle on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in north central South Dakota.

Bureau of Indian Affairs special agent Elmer Four Dance said Roundtree`s body was found late Sunday afternoon. She was 5 months pregnant. Mellette`s body was found an hour later.

Four Dance said autopsies will be done, but he said rain and cold temperatures are likely factors after the two apparently began walking for help after their car became stuck in the mud.

The weather service said temperatures were in the 30s and 40s and an inch of rain fell in the 24 hours after the two were last seen Feb. 8.

http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=27328