Spirit Lake Tribe declares State of Emergency, enters lockdown

The emergency declaration stated that the tribe had exhausted its available resources searching for the two individuals

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Amelia Schafer

ICT + Rapid City Journal

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The Spirit Lake Nation is on lockdown following an ongoing manhunt in Fort Totten, North Dakota, days after the announcement of a State of Emergency.

On April 4 at noon central time, the tribe initiated a lockdown across the 405 square mile reservation as police searched for Kolby McKay. At 3 p.m., the tribe announced an additional curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. McKay is considered armed and dangerous.

On March 27, the tribe declared a state of emergency after two people disappeared on the reservation in three months.

The emergency declaration stated that the tribe had exhausted its available resources searching for the two individuals. A majority of the reservation is open land, woodlands, and open waterways including Devils Lake.

Jemini Posey, 21, was last seen on Jan. 7 in Fort Totten. Posey told her boyfriend she was going out with a friend and would be back soon, she hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Posey is Native American/White with blonde hair and hazel eyes. She is 4 feet, 7 inches and 125 pounds.

Issac Hunt, 27, was last seen on March 8 leaving his dad’s house in Saint Michael, North Dakota. Hunt is Native American with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing dark blue jeans, white Nikes, a gray Reebok pullover hoodie, a black jacket and a white Adidas hat. Hunt is 5 feet, 10 inches and 150 pounds.

The tribe is offering two $5,000 awards for information leading to the location of both individuals.

According to the North Dakota Missing Person’s Clearinghouse, eight Indigenous people have been reported missing since 2023 by the Fort Totten BIA agency which oversees the Spirit Lake Reservation. An additional two Indigenous people were reported missing in the border town of Devils Lake, ND in 2023. None of the missing people have a photo available within the Clearinghouse.

Approximately 30 percent of the total missing people in North Dakota are Indigenous.

Anyone with information about the two missing individuals is encouraged to call the Fort Totten Police Department at (701) 766-4231, the Devils Lake Police Department at (701) 662-0700, or the FBI tip line at (800) 225-5324.