Blanket of Silence: The Murder of Lakota Renville
In the early morning hours of October 16, 2005, the body of 22-year-old Lakota Renville was found in a weedy, vacant lot in Independence, Missouri. She had been beaten, stabbed, stripped naked, and wrapped in a distinctive southwestern-style blanket and carpet padding. Her body was left just feet from the street — no attempt at burial, no effort to hide her. As one officer said at the time, “It’s like someone wanted her to be found.”
And yet, nearly 20 years later, her case remains unsolved.
Lakota’s story is not just another cold case. It’s not just a tragedy or a mystery — it’s a reflection of the broader violence disproportionately faced by Indigenous women, and the silence that too often follows.
In our latest episode of Vanished Voices, we tell Lakota’s story in full: her life, the days leading up to her death, the evidence left behind, and the long fight her family has waged to make sure she is not forgotten.
Lakota Was So Much More Than a Case File
Lakota Rae Renville grew up on the Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota, a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate. Her family describes her as gentle, shy, and endlessly compassionate. She loved animals, stood up for classmates who were struggling, and never liked being the center of attention. She graduated from high school in 2002, becoming the first of her siblings to earn a diploma.
At just 21, Lakota left South Dakota, hopeful for something new — college, independence, maybe love. Instead, she met a man online who would lure her to the Kansas City area and into a dangerous situation. According to her family, Lakota was trafficked, abused, and isolated. She called home from payphones when she could. Once, she told her mother the man had locked her in a basement and taken her clothes so she couldn’t leave. Another time, she said he was sending her out to meet men.
Her mother begged her to come home. Lakota did — for two days. But the trauma and control of trafficking aren’t easily escaped. She returned to Kansas City, and weeks later, she was dead.
The Crime, the Clues, and the Silence
Lakota’s body was found near Pitcher Road and 40 Highway. She’d been killed elsewhere, wrapped in a blanket and padding, and dumped in the lot. The blanket is one of the case’s few physical clues — southwestern pattern, steer skull, desert hues. Investigators released a photo, hoping someone would recognize it.
There was DNA. It’s been entered into CODIS. No match. No hit.
There was a phone number written on her palm. Police haven’t said what they found from it.
A witness reported seeing a brown early-90s Ford Explorer parked at the site not long before her body was discovered. No arrest came from that lead either.
And then there was the phone. After Lakota was killed, someone used her cell phone — 50 times — making short, silent calls. None lasted more than a minute. None spoke a word. It appears to have been an attempt to delay the inevitable discovery of her body. To buy time. To stall justice.
It didn’t work. But it did show cruelty.
A Family That Won’t Stop
Lakota’s mother, Julie Watts, and sister Waynette Renville have spent every year since 2005 fighting to keep her name alive. They’ve held vigils at the site. Planted flowers. Prayed. Called police. Put up billboards. Asked the questions no one else was asking.
“When they brought her body back, I promised her I’d find whoever did this to her,” Waynette said. “I haven’t given up.”
In 2023, the Independence City Council allocated funds to reexamine cold cases — Lakota’s among them. New DNA techniques may someday lead to a breakthrough. Until then, her family holds the line.
The Broader Crisis
Lakota’s case is one of hundreds. In South Dakota, Indigenous people make up about 10% of the population, but over 60% of missing persons. In Missouri, the numbers are harder to find — because no one has kept good track.
The MMIW crisis is not only about disappearances. It’s about the systems that fail to investigate, the stories that go untold, and the communities left carrying their grief alone. Lakota wasn’t just a victim. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend, and — in the words of those who knew her — a warrior.
What You Can Do
- Know her name. Lakota Renville. Please say it.
- Share her story. Post, repost, and reshare. Use her photo. Use her voice.
- Watch for details. Do you remember someone with a blanket like the one found with her? A brown SUV in Independence, Missouri in 2005?
- Call in a tip. Even if it feels small. CrimeStoppers: 816-474-TIPS.
- Support Native-led MMIW organizations. For example, the Sovereign Bodies Institute or your local advocacy groups.
This Isn’t Closure. But It Is a Reminder.
“Tomorrow never came,” Lakota promised her mom, the day before she was killed, to call again. She never got the chance.
Let’s make sure today — over 20 years later — is the day someone listens. The day someone remembers. The day someone finally speaks up.
Because Lakota deserves that tomorrow.
Have thoughts on this story or other cases you’d like to see highlighted? Share them with us in the comments or connect with us on social media. Together, we can ensure that stories like this one are never forgotten.
Don’t forget to follow us on social media, @VanishedVoicesPod, share your thoughts, and let us know what you’d like to hear about in future episodes. If you have any true crime stories of your own, send them our way Vanishedvoicespodcast@gmail.com to be featured on a future episode. And as always, Refuse to let these voices vanish. See you in the next episode of Vanished Voices.
Resources and further reading:
Associated Press. (2018). Lakota Rae Renville. Lompoc Record. https://lompocrecord.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/lakota-rae-renville/article_91d10fba-12c8-11e8-8159-77e98f6fbd5e.html
KCUR 89.3. (2021, September 20). Native American runners honor a Kansas City murder victim on journey to D.C.https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-09-20/native-american-runners-honor-a-kansas-city-murder-victim-on-journey-to-d-c
KCTV5 News. (2023, May). Relatives search for justice for Lakota Renville 17+ years later [Video]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/KCTV5NewsKansasCity/videos/justice-for-lakota-renville/610156243993282/
KSHB 41 News. (2023, October 16). MMIP Series: Cold case murder of Indigenous woman Lakota Renville. https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/investigations/mmip-series-i-team-focuses-on-2005-cold-case-murder-of-indigenous-woman-lakota-renville
KSHB 41 News. (2025, October 16). Family marks 20th anniversary of unsolved Lakota Renville murder. https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/family-marks-20th-anniversary-of-unsolved-lakota-renville-murder
Martin, L. X. (2021, September 20). Native American runners honor a Kansas City murder victim on journey to D.C.KCUR 89.3. https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-09-20/native-american-runners-honor-a-kansas-city-murder-victim-on-journey-to-d-c
Plake, S. (2023, October 16). Lakota Renville: 18 years later, no arrest in her cold case. KSHB 41 News. https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/i-team/lakota-renville-18-years-later-no-arrest-in-her-cold-case
Plake, S. (2025, October 16). Family continues call for justice 20 years after Lakota Renville’s death. KSHB 41 News. https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/family-continues-call-for-justice-20-years-after-lakota-renvilles-death
Ricono, A. (2023, May 16). Justice for Lakota Renville: Family of Indigenous woman still searching after 17 years. KCTV5 News. https://www.kctv5.com/video/2023/05/17/justice-lakota-renville-family-indigenous-woman-still-searching-after-17-years/
South Dakota Searchlight. (2024, April 26). Missing Indigenous people cases remain high as some reforms stall. https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2024/04/26/missing-indigenous-people-cases-remain-high-as-some-reforms-stall/
Sovereign Bodies Institute. (2024). Lakota Renville billboard campaign in Kansas City [Instagram post]. https://www.instagram.com/p/C5pXhYpNYOv/
U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson. (2022, May 6). Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women [Weekly column]. https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/weekly-columns/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women