Ashley Loring Heavyrunner.Photo: Courtesy Loring HeavyRunner Family
Ashley Loring Heavyrunner, 20, was known for her big heart, positive attitude and her desire to help those in need. When she learned about the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada, she wanted to bring awareness to their plight.
“She was telling me, ‘Sis, these girls are going missing in Canada and something’s happening to them — I want to help them,'” recounts her older sister Kimberly, 27.
But a few months later, Ashley, a member of the Montana Blackfeet Indian Reservation, disappeared herself.
“She was known for losing phones all the time and her phones were broken,” says Kimberly. “And so we thought that could have been the case.”
At the time of her disappearance, the college student who grew up on a ranch and loved to dress “country chic” was planning to move to Missoula to live with Kimberly and attend the University of Montana.
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“Something terrible happened to my sister,” Kimberly says. “She was so friendly and so willing to trust people. And that’s why I believe that Ashley was taken advantage of and was hurt because of the person that she is.”
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Kimberly has worked with theUp and Vanishedtrue crime podcast and has herself searched the wilderness for her sister.
“We won’t give up looking for her,” she says. “Someone in the community knows where she’s at.”
Ashley’s case is not unique, says Kimberly. “It’s the very same as thousands of other families that are going through the same thing throughout Indian country.”
Those with information are encouraged to call the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office at 801-579-1400 or 1-800-CALL-FBI. The public can also submit tips to online attips.fbi.gov.
source: people.com
