MMIP
May 15, 2026

Missing 12-year-old boy from Turtle Mountain Reservation found dead

Family members said Abrium Swain, who went missing in March from the Turtle Mountain Child Welfare Shelter, was identified through DNA testing


May 15, 2026

A 12-year-old boy who had been missing from the Turtle Mountain Reservation since March was found dead near Dunseith, North Dakota, according to KX News. Family members confirmed that Abrium Swain, who disappeared March 15 from the Turtle Mountain Child Welfare Shelter in Belcourt, was identified through a DNA test with his father.

According to KX News, federal officers believe Swain died from exposure after his body was found near the north housing unit in Dunseith. Family members previously told KX News that Swain ran away from the shelter the morning he disappeared, briefly returned later that day, then left again. KX News reported that Turtle Mountain Child Welfare declined to release information about the case and that the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Turtle Mountain Chairman’s Office and the FBI had not responded to requests for comment as of Thursday.

  1. 1.Kyara Brown. KX News, .

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