Spirit Lake Tribe searches for Danica White: ‘She is more than a missing person’

North Dakota State Highway Patrol and North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation issued a Feather Alert, which requires a belief that the missing person is “in grave danger of serious bodily harm or death.”

But the alert was “not received in the proper and coordinated way,” Spirit Lake Tribe’s public information officer, Vicki Alberts, revealed at a Nov. 3 press conference. Many citizens did not receive the notification, and those who did said there was no sound. Alberts said state authorities are working on figuring out what went wrong and how to fix the problem.

The tribe is partnering with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the FBI to search for White, Alberts said. Lake Region Search and Rescue, Benson County Sheriff’s Office and Civil Air Patrol are also involved. Alberts said there have been air, water and ground searches.

According to authorities, White was last seen in Fort Totten, wearing blue jeans, a black hoodie with pink and purple jellyfish designs on the back, a gray ball cap and gray low-top Nike shoes with white logos. She has the number 31 tattooed on her left forearm.

“Danica is only 20 years old — just beginning her adult life,” Spirit Lake Tribe Chairwoman Lonna Jackson-Street said in a press release. “We ask that everyone keep Danica’s family in their thoughts and prayers.”

At the press conference, Alberts said it’s important for people to remember who Danica is and that she’s “not just a missing person, she is a daughter, a sister, a niece and a granddaughter.”

Her uncle Kyle White described her as caring. He said he would visit her at the McDonald’s in Devils Lake where she worked.

“Every time I went there she would tease me about all the meals I bought and offer to give me her discount to help me out,” he said.

Her sister, Taryn White, said White took their younger sister and Taryn’s son trick-or-treating the night before she disappeared. “I just want my sister home,” she said.

A Facebook post by the Spirit Lake Tribe said White was on foot before she disappeared and “indicated to law enforcement that she was cold,” which led investigators to believe she may have sought out shelter in nearby areas.

The tribe did not say what type of emergency assistance White was requesting or whether there are any leads.

White is one of three known Spirit Lake citizens who are missing. Her family urges anyone with information to come forward and share it with BIA at 701-766-4231 or the Fort Totten Police Department at 701-766-4231.

“To see my brother go through this, it really hurts,” Kyle White said. “She’s out there. Danica, we will find you. I promise you, we’ll find you and we’ll bring you home.”