Introduction

The case of Jewel Paul Wheeler, a Vietnam War veteran and member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, who vanished from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, in the early 1970s, remains one of the most perplexing unsolved disappearances in the region. Despite the passage of over five decades, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance continue to baffle investigators and haunt his community.

Background and Personal History

Born around 1943, Jewel Paul Wheeler was a 30-year-old man at the time he was last seen. Standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing approximately 131 pounds, he had brown hair and brown eyes. A distinctive tattoo on his left arm read "82nd Airborne," signifying his service in the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division during the Vietnam War. As a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Wheeler resided in the Calico Community on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota....Read More