XPost: alt.fan.states.south-dakota, alt.politics.nationalism.black, sac.politics
XPost: alt.native, alt.military

Law enforcement authorities in South Dakota say a woman who had been
missing since last summer was murdered by a member of the U.S. Air Force.

Quinterius Charles Chappelle was arrested on a federal charge of second-
degree murder in the death of Sahela Toka Win Sangrait, the Pennington
County Sheriff's Office announced over the weekend.

Chappelle pleaded not guilty during a Monday court appearance, according
to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of
South Dakota. A federal public defender listed for Chappelle declined to comment.

Authorities say Chappelle, a 24-year-old active-duty airman stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, murdered Sangrait on the military installation
near Rapid City in August. Investigators did not say how they believe
Chappelle killed Sangrait or whether the pair knew each other. Sangrait's remains were found in early March by a hiker in Hill City, nearly 40 miles southwest of the base.

"This charge, filed just ten days after the victim's remains were
discovered, reflects the dogged work of federal, state, and local law enforcement professionals who seamlessly collaborated to run down every
lead with absolute expediency and care," U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell
said in a statement.

"At this time, our hearts are with the victim's family and friends, who
after many agonizing months of searching for answers, are now grieving the tragic death of their loved one," Ramsdell added.

A spokesperson for Ellsworth Air Force Base told NPR that Chappelle is an aircraft inspection journeyman assigned to the 28th Maintenance Squadron
and had entered the service on April 30, 2019.

"First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and
family of Sahela," base commander Col. Derek Oakley said in a statement.
"We hold Airmen accountable for their actions, and if service members are
found in violation of military or civilian law, they will be punished. We
are working closely with the area law enforcement agencies."

Sangrait, 21, had been missing since August. She was Native American,
according to a missing person flyer posted on Facebook. Sangrait had been staying with a friend in Eagle Butte, but was planning to gather some belongings in her hometown of Box Elder, which borders the base, before traveling to California, according to the flyer.

Rates of violence and murder against Native American and Alaska Native
people in the U.S. � particularly women � are disproportionately high. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found that American
Indian and Alaska Native women had the second-highest rate of homicide
among American women between 2003 and 2014. In a 2016 study funded by the National Institute of Justice, 84% of American Indian and Alaska Native
women said they had experienced violence in their lifetimes � with nearly
four in ten saying they had experienced violence in the previous year.

The National Crime Information Center said in 2016 that there were 5,712 reports of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls
across the country. Indigenous people make up about 60% of South Dakota's missing persons cases, South Dakota Searchlight reported in April.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, which helps
analyze and solve cases of American Indian and Alaska Native people who
have disappeared or been killed, was part of the investigation into
Sangrait's death.

As of Monday afternoon, Chappelle was being held in the Pennington County
Jail on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service, according to a county
database.

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/17/nx-s1-5330706/airman-south-dakota-sahela- sangrait-quinterius-chappelle

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