Benjamin Youngbear

Benjamin Youngbear, a 29-year-old member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, endured a life marked by profound loss before it was violently taken from him in the spring of 2015. Born in Montana, Benjamin’s life changed dramatically at age seven when his mother, a member of the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo in New Mexico, passed away. He and his two sisters were sent to live with their maternal grandmother in Ohkay Owingeh. Tragedy struck again five years later when their father died of pneumonia. Despite these hardships, Benjamin remained in New Mexico, the land of his mother’s people.

On Memorial Day, May 25, 2015, Benjamin Youngbear vanished from the Ohkay Owingeh pueblo. His disappearance was immediately considered suspicious, prompting an investigation by tribal and federal authorities. For six weeks, his whereabouts remained a mystery. The search came to a grim end in early July when investigators, acting on witness information, discovered his body buried in a shallow grave at a residence in Chamita, a village near the pueblo. An autopsy confirmed he had been shot to death. Investigators identified his remains through his tattoos.

The investigation, led by the FBI, quickly focused on two non-Indian men. Jack R. Patterson, Jr., 66, was arrested and charged with murder, while Antonio Valdez, 24, was charged with aiding and abetting. Federal prosecutors alleged that Patterson had shot and killed Youngbear during a robbery attempt at Patterson's home. According to court documents, witnesses reported hearing gunshots from Patterson's property on the night of May 25. When first questioned, Patterson denied knowing anything, but after Youngbear's body was found on his property, he claimed he shot him in self-defense. Patterson told agents that Valdez had been at his home when an armed man, whom he later identified as Youngbear, threatened Valdez and demanded money. Patterson claimed he then shot the man with a rifle he kept by his door. He and Valdez then allegedly dragged the body to a pit on the property.

Court filings also implicated a third person, Antonio Valdez’s father, Joey Valdez, alleging he knew about the killing and his son's involvement, though he was not formally charged. The path to justice, however, unraveled over the following year. In October 2015, the case against Antonio Valdez was dismissed due to a lack of sufficient evidence. Tragically, in January 2016, Antonio Valdez was killed in a car accident.

A few months later, in April 2016, the murder charge against Jack R. Patterson, Jr. was also dropped. The U.S. Attorney's Office filed a motion to dismiss the case, stating, “Additional investigation indicates that there is insufficient evidence to proceed at this time.” The motion, which was granted, dismissed the case "without prejudice," which left open the possibility that charges could be refiled in the future if new evidence were to surface.

The violent end to Benjamin’s life was compounded by a series of devastating losses for his family. His sister Yvette had passed away in March 2015, just two months before his murder. In an almost unbelievable turn of events, his other sister, Nicole Edmonds, was killed in a hit-and-run accident on the reservation in July 2015, around the very time her brother's body was being unearthed.

As of May 2016, with all charges dropped, the murder of Benjamin Youngbear remains officially unsolved. The investigation is inactive, and no one is in custody for his death. His case stands as a painful open wound for his remaining loved ones and community, a story of immense personal tragedy that has yet to find justice.