The FBI says the remains were discovered Oct. 19 and belong to Shauntae Hope Marks. Marks had been missing since May.
The body was found in a wooded area of the reservation and investigators were not initially able to identify the remains.
The FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs are continuing to investigate the death.
The Crow Creek reservation is located in central South Dakota.
The cause of a car fire at Presentation College Sunday evening will remain undetermined, said Todd Salfrank, battalion chief of Aberdeen Fire and Rescue.
Most of the engine was already fused together by flames when time firefighters arrived, Salfrank said. That makes it extremely difficult to figure out if the fire was caused by a mechanial failure or an electrical issue.
There is no suggestion of criminal activity, he said.
MINTO, N.D. (AP) - Counselors are helping students in two North Dakota communities cope with the weekend slayings of three children and their grandmother in New Town.
Counselors have been on hand at all three schools in New Town, where the Sunday shootings happened in a residential neighborhood in the northwestern community. High School Principal John Gartner tells The Dickinson Press that the mood is "very somber."
Counselors also have been working with students in the northeastern community of Minto, where the three children had lived as recently as a month earlier.
Authorities identified the victims as 64-year-old Martha Johnson and three of her grandchildren: 13-year-old Benjamin Schuster, 10-year-old Julia Schuster and 6-year-old Luke Schuster. A man who killed himself the same day as the shootings has been described as a person of interest.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - Gusty winds and warm temperatures are elevating the fire danger in parts of South Dakota.
The Wildland Fire Division is urging people who have burned brush piles in the past couple of weeks to check to make sure they are extinguished and cold, so they don't spark a wildfire.
The National Weather Service says high temperatures Wednesday will reach into the 70s in some areas, possibly setting records.
Forecasters have posted a high wind watch in the western part of the state and a wind advisory in the central and east for Thanksgiving Day.
Northern Beef officials canceled a planned inspection of the plant by the City of Aberdeen on Monday.
Passing the inspection would have lifted the production limit of slaughtering 500 cattle per day.
A plant official canceled the inspection because two projects required for the limits to be lifted were not completed, said Chad Nilson, Aberdeen building inspector.
It is possible the 500 cattle limit will be maintained; however, it could be fewer than 500, depending on the advice of the city attorney, city manager and others, said Brett Bill, planning and zoning director.
The city will need to issue a new or an extension of the temporary certificate of occupancy, he said.
The Temporary Certificate for Limited Production and Testing expired Nov. 16.
The beef plant was to have installed sampling equipment for wastewater as well as a metering manhole for the wastewater system, Nilson said.
"The beef plant called us to cancel the inspection because the necessary equipment had not arrived," he said.
The equipment is necessary before the plant can send its pretreated wastewater to the city treatment plant, he said. The plant has time to work out the problems because now all the wastewater is going to pretreatment lagoons, which are only 15 percent full, he said.
Northern Beef does not need to send any wastewater to the city until its lagoons are closer to capacity, he said.
Nilson said the plant continues to make progress on its list of minor projects.
First Lady Linda Daugaard will be visiting area elementary schools next week to read to third-, fourth- and fifth-graders.
Daugaard will visit Groton Elementary School, Warner Elementary School and Northwestern Elementary School on Nov. 28.
She will be reading to students at all five Aberdeen public elementary schools. On Nov. 29, she will be at C.C. Lee, May Overby and O.M. Tiffany elementary schools.
She will make appearances at Lincoln and Simmons elementary schools on Nov. 30.
Daugaard, a former librarian, is making the visits as part of her efforts to improve literacy among children in South Dakota.
A number of businesses and agencies will be closed in observance of the Thanksgiving Day holiday on Thursday:
• Federal offices: Closed Thursday.
• State offices: Closed Thursday and Friday.
• Brown County offices: Closed Thursday and Friday.
• Aberdeen city offices: Closed Thursday.
• Brown County Landfill: Closed Thursday.
• Aberdeen Catholic schools: Offices and classes are closed Thursday and Friday.
• Aberdeen public schools: Offices and classes are closed Thursday and Friday.
• Aberdeen Christian School: Offices and classes are closed Thursday and Friday.
• Trinity Lutheran School: Offices and classes are closed Thursday and Friday
• Northern State University: Classes closed today, Thursday and Friday; offices closed Thursday and Friday.
• Presentation College: Classes closed today, Thursday and Friday; offices closed Thursday and Friday.
• Aberdeen Area Senior Center: Closed Thursday, Friday.
• Dacotah Prairie Museum: Closed Thursday.
• Alexander Mitchell Library: Closed Thursday.
• Lakewood Mall: Most stores closed Thursday; some will open Thursday evening or at midnight.
• Carmike Cinema 9: For show times, call 605-229-6820.
• The American News will publish as usual. The circulation department can be reached at 605- 225-3438 or 888-525-3438.
By year's end, people who improperly leave items at the Brown County Landfill's drop sites near Aberdeen will likely be paying administrative fees as a penalty.
County commissioners approved the first reading of an ordinance change during their Tuesday meeting that imposes the fee, which would be $100 for first-time offenders. In fall, the landfill put up surveillance cameras at the fairgrounds and South Fifth Street/rural fire department drop sites that allow for tracking of improper dumping.
Final approval of the ordinance is scheduled for next week. If it's OK'd, it would go into effect Dec. 26.
The dump sites are for general household waste and, in designated areas, leaves and grass. Items not accepted include branches, ash, carpet, tires, couches, mattresses, wood, dry wall, rock, concrete, shingles, construction debris, appliances, commercial and business waste, electronics such as televisions and computer gear, air conditioners, liquids, wood and steel posts and wire. Those items should be taken to the landfill, as should items that can't fit in the trash bins.
In the past, leaving improper items at the drop sites has been a misdemeanor. The administrative fees, which would max out at $500, would replace the misdemeanor infraction.
Also Tuesday during the meeting, commissioners:
• Declined a request to install four culverts beneath roads in Warner Township.
Township officials asked that the county replace an existing five-foot culvert and install another five-foot culvert on 383rd Avenue south of 142nd Street. They also wanted five-foot culverts on 144th Street between 383rd and 384th avenues and on 146th Street between 383rd and 384th avenues.
The culverts are needed because a larger culvert on the north side of the township allows in more water than smaller culverts to the south can handle, said Darwin Bettmann, chairman of the Warner Township Board.
Commissioners declined the request because, they said, they don't have the money to pay for the culvert work. And, Duane Sutton, commission chairman said, they don't want to set a precedent that would oblige them to put in larger culverts should other townships have similar requests in the future.
Gary Vetter, planning and zoning director, estimated the culverts would cost about $11,000, plus installation costs. Jan Weismantel, highway superintendent, said there is no extra money in her budget next year.
Commissioners told township officials they could address their drainage concerns by installing multiple smaller culverts.
The county highway department is responsible for culverts that are at least five feet in diameter. Townships cover the costs of smaller culverts.
"We have financial restraints, too," Bettmann said, a point Sutton acknowledged.
Commissioner Nancy Hansen granted that some previous drainage work approved by or acknowledged by the county likely led to water being higher than it would otherwise be in Warner Township. But after discussing potential liability and legal matters in a closed session, the commission decided against providing the culverts for Warner Township.
• Set Dec. 11 as the bid date for welding equipment that will be used by New Tec to provide workforce training in the region.
The equipment will be paid for by a Community Development Block Grant. The county applied for the grant on behalf of New Tec, but no county money will be used nor are there liability concerns for the county.
• Approved a pay request of $388,589 for work done on the Aberdeen Family Y's new youth development center, which is now under construction.
The money will come from a Community Development Block Grant the county applied for on behalf of the Y. No county money will be used, and the county bears no liability.
• Approved previous meeting minutes, step increases for employees, a lease agreement, routine personnel changes, payroll, claims and abatements.
The head of the Northern State University Foundation admitted this morning to drunken driving stemming from a Gypsy Day incident.
Todd J. Jordre, 49, of Aberdeen, did not appear in magistrate court, but his attorney, Bill Gerdes, entered a guilty plea on Jordre's behalf. Judge Mark Anderson gave Jordre a 60-day suspended jail term and a year's probation. He must also pay a total of $510 in fines, fees and testing costs. His driver's license was suspended for 45 days and he must adhere to any recommendations resulting from a chemical dependency evaluation.
Chad Locken, deputy state's attorney for Brown County, said in court that Jordre's blood alcohol level was 0.206. The legal limit is 0.08. After the hearing, he declined to discuss other details about the case.
In exchange for Jodre's guilty plea, a hit-and-run charge was dismissed.
According to court paperwork, Jordre was pulled over by the South Dakota Highway Patrol at the intersection of County Road 19 and U.S. Highway 281 at 5:21 p.m. Oct. 6. That was the day of NSU's homecoming parade and football game.
The NSU Foundation is a nonprofit agency that raises money for the university, including for scholarships. Jordre is an employee of the foundation, not the university.
In a statement, NSU President Jim Smith called Jordre's conviction disheartening.
"Todd is employed by the NSU Foundation, but still serves as a member of my senior cabinet and is a trusted confidant in all fundraising areas. I am disappointed in this conviction and Todd knows that well," Smith said in the statement. "I have provided my insights to the Executive Committee of the NSU Foundation, and appropriate human resource procedures are being followed in light of this legal situation. I do not openly discuss specific personnel actions regarding university employees, nor will I do so with foundation employees."
The movie "It's a Wonderful Life" will be shown downtown at the Capitol Theatre as part of the Downtown Aberdeen celebration, Christmas on Main.
This event is FREE for all American News members (includes print and digital).
Event information
Member ticket information: Members can pick up tickets at the American News building, M-F 8am-5pm, or by emailing: tickets@aberdeennews.com. If emailing, please include the number of tickets you are requesting and the date of the show you wish to attend. A reply will be sent back to you with your tickets attached. Please print these tickets off and present them at the door the night of the show. Tickets for American News members are FREE in advance, but $4 at the door the night of the show.
The Capitol Theatre will begin showing films again the weekend of Dec. 7.
They will be screened a week at a time. They are mostly independent and critically praised films that don't make their way to Carmike. They do not know what the first film to be shown will be.
Films will be shown through March.
CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) - Shoppers in Iowa got an unusual glimpse of wildlife Monday morning when a doe and two fawns wandered into a department store.
Coralville Police Chief Barry Bedford says the deer used doors that open automatically to get into a Kohl's store.
He says the fawns stayed in the store's vestibule, but their mother made it into the store and headed toward the back.
Police say employees opened up some back doors and the doe exited. The two fawns turned around and used the automatic exit doors to leave the store.
No injuries or damage was reported.
DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) - Dickinson schools locked down after police advised officials about a chase nearby involving a suspected car thief.
The Dickinson Press is reporting that Dunn County Sheriff Don Rockvoy says a suspect fled Wednesday after one his officers pulled the car over. Dickinson police Capt. Joe Cianni says the car is believed to have been stolen and was later found abandoned.
Police fearing the suspect might seek refuge in nearby schools notified officials to lock their doors and keep an eye out.
The suspect has not been found, police said.
The Eagles Club will play host to a benefit Saturday for Ruby Marie Bonn, a 3-month-old girl whose parents are formerly of Aberdeen.
She is the daughter of Clark and Melissa (Slaba) Bonn. Clark Bonn graduated from Aberdeen Central in 2004, and Melissa Bonn is a Presentation College graduate. They now live in Pierre.
Ruby was born Aug. 25, a month early. At her two-week checkup on Sept. 7, a radiologist discovered that her heart was enlarged because of congestive heart failure, according to a news release. An echocardiogram showed that Ruby had a severe coarctation, or narrowing, of the aorta and a bicuspid heart valve, according to the release. On Sept. 8 in Omaha, Neb., she had surgery to correct her aorta.
The benefit will help with medical costs.
The event begins with a bean bag tournament at 5 p.m. The entry fee for the tournament is $50 per two-person team.
The benefit also includes a bake sale, silent auctions and raffles, all taking place throughout the night. Concessions, also available throughout the night, include soup, homemade chili, barbecues, hot dogs and nachos.
A fund has been set up at Dacotah Bank for cash donations.
For more information, visit Bonn's Eats and Treats or Bonn Express, call 605-225-3150 or send an email to dustin_bonn@hotmail.com.
Robert Johnson, 63, was trying to get from North Dakota to Houston on Wednesday morning, but his first flight from Fargo to Chicago was delayed by the fog. His arrival to his hometown area was pushed back about five hours to 10 p.m.
"I'm stuck for a while," Johnson said. "But I guess everyone will be happy to see my face."
Johnson, who owns a cleaning service in Fargo, was relaxing in the airport cafeteria Wednesday morning after having breakfast. A native of Beaumont, Texas, he said he returns home twice a year. About 10 family members are expected for Thanksgiving.
"I love ham. I'm not too much of a turkey person, but I will eat it," Johnson said. "I love the yams and the homemade cornbread and the rice dressing. That's what I'm after. I don't get that up here."
Katelyn Weimerskirch, 18, a freshman at North Dakota State University, was hoping to get from Fargo to East Dubuque, Ill., on Wednesday. Her flight to Chicago was pushed back by fog, so she was spending the morning texting and talking with friends.
"It's making me nervous that I am going to get stuck in Chicago," Weimerskirch said.
"I am hoping that my original flight from Chicago to Dubuque, Iowa, is delayed as well," she said. "If not, I might have to take a bus from Chicago to Rockford, Ill., which means my parents would have to drive an hour and a half to pick me up."
Weimerskirch, recruited by NDSU for track and field, is making her first trip home since starting school.
"The weather is not doing me any favors," she said.
Oriana Pasch, 21, of Grand Forks, was waiting in the Fargo airport Wednesday morning for a flight to Denver to have a combined Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration with her parents and sister. Her flight was on time.
"I debated driving, I debated the bus, I debated trains," said Pasch, a full-time member of the Army National Guard. "Flying was the best deal."
Pasch said her mother was planning a Thanksgiving menu to include orange basil chicken and honey roasted ham, along with all the fixings, and a "fantastic apple pie."
It was perfect weather for highway travelers in most of the Dakotas. The mercury in Sioux Falls, S.D., hit 70 degrees Wednesday, breaking a record for the date set in 1960, according to the National Weather Service.
The day before Thanksgiving is typically one of the busiest travel days of the year, and Highway Patrol troopers were watching. The agencies in North Dakota and South Dakota said they put all available personnel on the road, from troopers to supervisors to command staff.
Jackie Spencer, 64, who works in the business office of Martin County (Minn.) Social Services, was driving through South Dakota to get from her home in Fairmont, Minn., to spend Thanksgiving with her sister in Lexington, Neb.
Gas prices are a big concern, but when she filled up her Dodge Durango for the trip, her credit card rewards program chipped in $2.82 a gallon to bring her fuel bill down to 45 cents a gallon.
Spencer said she's glad that gas prices have leveled off a bit, but the rewards contribution was a huge help.
"With this vehicle, the gas prices definitely add up," Spencer said. "Four dollars is something that I can't handle. It's pretty sad when $3.25 a gallon is good."
A Mobridge man is headed to prison after admitting to breaking into houses and garages and helping another jail inmate escape.
Sasha Ruedebusch, 19, of Mobridge pleaded guilty in Walworth County to charges of burglary and escape.
Christopher Jansen, Walworth County state's attorney, said that during the summer, Ruedebusch was involved in a series of burglaries of homes and garages. On the burglary charge, he was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay $140.50 in fines and fees. He was given credit for 176 days served.
Jansen said the escape charge stems from Ruedebusch helping another Walworth County Jail inmate tear a hole in the jail's recreation yard fence about a month ago. Ruedebusch, however, did not escape, Jansen said.
On the escape charge, Ruedebusch was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay $170 in fines and fees. He was given credit for 176 days served.
Jansen said Ruedebusch will be eligible for parole in roughly a year and a half. In exchange for Ruedebusch's guilty pleas, related charges were dismissed.
In other court news:
Taylor Hauge, 18, of Aberdeen pleaded guilty in Brown County to a charge of burglary. The guilty plea is also a violation of his probation stemming from previous grand theft and forgery convictions in a different case.
On the new burglary charge, Hauge was sentenced to five years in prison with two years suspended and ordered to pay $104 in fines and fees plus $45 in testing costs. For breaking probation rules, he was given the same sentence on both the grand theft and forgery charges: Five years in prison with two years suspended. The prison terms will be served concurrently. His suspended imposition of sentence, which would have kept the original charges from his record, was revoked.
Burglary is a felony punishable by as much as 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. Grand theft is a felony punishable by as much as 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. Forgery is a felony punishable by as much as five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Etson Tapia, 30, of Aberdeen entered a not guilty plea in Brown County to a charge of statutory rape. He had previously entered a guilty plea, but was allowed to change that plea.
The crime is a felony punishable by as much as 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. The charge stems from alleged incidents in July and August 2011 with a victim who was 15 at the time. Under state law, people younger than 16 cannot consent to sexual acts.
Julia A. Dumarce, 39, of Lake City pleaded guilty in Marshall County to a fourth drunken driving charge in a 10-year span. She was sentenced to five years in prison with two years suspended and given credit for 42 days served. She must pay $108 in fines and fees.
The crime is a felony punishable by as much as five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. In exchange for her guilty plea, lesser charges were dismissed.
Highways in South Dakota will be busier than usual during Thanksgiving weekend since more than 100,000 South Dakotans have travel plans.
The South Dakota AAA estimates 145,000 people will travel more than 50 miles during Thanksgiving weekend. That is a slight increase from last year, when 144,000 people were on the road.
The Thanksgiving travel weekend began on Wednesday and lasts until Sunday, according to AAA.
Marilyn Buskohl, a spokeswoman with the South Dakota AAA, said about 90 percent of those people will drive. People who are going to drive long distances should be certain their vehicle is ready for the trip.
People should make sure their car is roadworthy, by checking their tires, changing oil and making sure their windshield wiper blades aren't worn out, according to the AAA said.
People should drive cautiously and be sure to stop and check intersections because of increased highway traffic, Buskohl said.
The average price of regular unleaded gas in South Dakota this week is about $3.39, according to AAA's daily fuel gauge report.
Information on gas prices in South Dakota and throughout the country can be found at fuelgaugereport.aaa.com.
Our Black Friday team of area shoppers is in place to update readers on lines, deals and more early Friday morning.
These volunteers will be tweeting at #blackfridayAN. You can follow their updates Friday morning on the free Brown County Events app for iPhone and Android.
If you see great deals, short (or long) lines or other interesting tidbits, join the conversation by using #blackfridayAN on Twitter.
The Black Friday team is:
Alison Schwan, @alisonraes
Age: 32
City: Aberdeen
Occupation: Receptionist/online student
Bio: Married with two girls, 7 and 3.
What are you shopping for? Nothing specific yet.
Where are you shopping? Lakewood Mall, Kmart, Dunham's, Tractor Supply Co., Wal-Mart, Target.
Melissa Loebs, @mjloebs
Age: 30
City: Aberdeen
Occupation: Human resources
Bio: Married to John for 10 years, have a daughter named Emma, who is 7, and a boy on the way in March. Love to find great deals!
What is your shopping plan? My plan is to go out Thursday evening ... how long just depends on the lines and how long I can make it. Generally we go at 10 p.m. and don't get home until about 8 a.m. I doubt I will make it that long this year, but I will definitely get what I need!
What are you shopping for? Still coming up with a plan of action on what we are shopping for. Honestly, I love to go just for the excitement of it all and to find some bargains for Christmas gifts.
Where are you shopping? Target and Wal-Mart for sure; I need to check out the other stores' ads.
Cheryl Bue, @EmmpressSD
Age: 32
City: Aberdeen
Occupation: HIM director at Faulkton Area Medical Center
Bio: I have no children, although my boyfriend and I do have a very spoiled little dog, who is part doxie and other parts unknown. ... I am an avid reader, and while I love my Kindle, I just can't let go of paper books yet. I am a casual "gamer," playing on the PS3, the Wii and my laptop. I love hockey, particularly the Minnesota Wild, so the current NHL lock-out is putting a damper on my winter sports watching.
What is your shopping plan? I am usually out the door between 4 and 4:30 for the stores that open at 5 a.m. In the past, other than my Wii, I haven't wanted any of the items that people try to be first in line and then run for, so I usually wait in my car until 10 minutes or so before the doors open and then head in. Most years I am done shopping between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
What are you shopping for? Most years I am looking for DVDs, videogames, books, Christmas decorations, small kitchen appliances, household goods and small electronics. . . . Our big purchase this year is going to be a digital SLR camera, and I've seen some deals but haven't decided on one yet.
Where are you shopping? It looks like my plan this year for Friday is Target first, Shopko second, Kmart third, the mall fourth, Menards fifth, and then I usually like to go to independent local stores in mid-morning/early afternoon.
Cassandra Brown, @CassieJo2004
Age: 27
City: Sioux Falls
Occupation: Sales assistant
Bio: Husband, Bob. Hobbies: driving motorcycle, reading, working on house projects, couponing.
What is your shopping plan? Probably starting Thanksgiving night and continuing to mid-day Friday.
What are you shopping for? I'm incredibly stingy and love getting deals/saving money. I'm out shopping for household items this year as well as some electronics.
Where are you shopping? Wal-Mart at 8 p.m., Target at 9 p.m. then Shopko, Herberger's, JC Penney at 6 a.m., Menards at 5 a.m. This may change a little as I haven't fully looked at all of the ads and made my complete list.
Marian Hooks, @Mariannnnn
Age: 21
City: Aberdeen/Brookings
School: Advertising major at South Dakota State University
Bio: I go to school for advertising with an emphasis in creative strategies at South Dakota State University. I work at the circulation desk at Hilton M. Briggs Library on campus. Interests/hobbies: music/ concerts, photography, fashion, writing, traveling, reading and editing photos/videos.
What is your shopping plan? Starting at Target, around 9 p.m. today. I'll probably be out for about two-three hours; it just depends on lines and what I find.
What are you shopping for? I'm shopping for deals, nothing in particular. I'm shopping because it's a tradition for my dad and me to go Black Friday shopping.
Kent Johnson, @kentttiferrr
Age: 19
City: Aberdeen
School: Sophomore at NSU
Bio: A busy college student. Work at JC Penney.
What is your shopping plan? Tonight: Between 7 and 10:30 p.m., I will be back and forth between Wal-Mart and Target. Wal-Mart has two rounds of sales, one at 8 p.m. and one at 10 p.m. Target starts at 9 p.m. 10:30 p.m.-midnight Thursday night I might make a stop at Kmart. Friday morning: Kmart at 5 a.m., JC Penney at 6 a.m.
What are you shopping for? Electronics, small appliances.