Full Name: Nevaeh Leigh Kingbird

Alternative Name: Veah, Beah, Tank

Case Status: Missing

Record ID#: 0202

*The names “Jane Doe”  and “John Doe” are English names used when the person’s true name is not known. If used above, the name refers to a person of unknown identity.

Date of Birth*: August 26, 2006
Birthplace:
Age at the Time: 15
Age Group: Teenager (13 to 19 Years Old)
Biological Sex: Female
Hair: Dark hair with a bleached blonde streak on one side
Eyes: Brown
Skin Complexion:
Shoe Size:
Ethnicity: Native American
Nationality: United States
Languages Spoken: English, Ojibwe

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Physical Build:

Height:

Weight

Distinguishing Marks:

• Mental Health & Medical Concerns
• She appeared highly distressed and was slurring her words when speaking with her mother.
• Under the influence of Alcohol.
• Some sources say that there may have been drug use occurring at the parties she attended. Whether she participated is unknown.

Medical Condition: Mental Health Concerns due to a Bipolar Disorder diagnosis. She had possibly sustained an injury when climbing out the window of her friend’s home.
Physical Abnormality:
Dental Condition:
Scars & Other Marks: Scar on the back of her left thigh. Scar or mark near her left eyebrow
Piercings: Ear
Tattoos:

Other Descriptors: Native American (enrolled with the Leech Lake Band or Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Minnesota)

Clothing

• Either a black zippered sweatshirt or a red sweatshirt with a logo showing the Chicago bull in feathered headdress
• White Tank-Top or T-Shirt
• Blue Skinny Jeans
• Black Sandals, Slide-Type (Nike) with the Nike logo in red letters
• Outerwear

Possessions:

Date of the Disappearance*: October 22, 2021

Description: In the days leading up to her sudden disappearance, Nevaeh embodied the essence of a typical high school freshman. Described as a beautiful young woman, she shared a close bond with her mother and five siblings and was surrounded by a circle of close friends at school. Known for her responsible nature, albeit with a touch of assertiveness, Nevaeh always lent a helping hand in looking after the younger children at home. She was particularly close to her sister Lakaylee, the two often dreaming and planning for the day they might live together in one of the bigger, more thrilling cities like New York. 

Despite appearing to mature at a faster pace than some of her siblings, she was still in the process of both physical and psychological development when she disappeared. Fueled by her spirited nature, she held aspirations of pursuing higher education out of state somewhere, possibly in New York or Colorado. Her dreams extended beyond the confines of her small hometown, with a yearning to explore the world and fulfill her ambitions beyond local horizons. Her disappearance has left the small community in shock, longing for her safe return as they grapple with the mystery surrounding her vanishing.

---

In the quiet town of Bemidji, Minnesota, nestled on the southern shores of Lake Bemidji—the northernmost headwater of the Mississippi River—Nevaeh grew up surrounded by natural beauty and cultural richness. With a population of about 15,000, including thousands of students at Bemidji State University, the town is a vibrant community framed by expansive forests like the Chippewa National Forest, Lake Bemidji State Park, and Itasca State Park. The Paul Bunyan State Trail draws outdoor enthusiasts, while the presence of three American Indian Reservations—Leech Lake, White Earth, and Red Lake—adds a deep cultural layer. As a proud tribal member¹, Nevaeh was fluent in both Ojibwe and English, embodying the heritage of her community.

But life in a small, rural town wasn’t always easy for Nevaeh, a teenager with dreams of adventure beyond Bemidji’s tranquil borders. Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, she faced personal struggles, compounded by the devastating loss of two friends to suicide that year, one just a week before her disappearance on October 21, 2020. Her mother, Teddi Wind, had recently taken a week off work to stay home with Nevaeh, concerned about how she was coping with her grief.

---

That October morning began unremarkably. The United States was still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, but in Bemidji, life was slowly returning to normal. Nevaeh woke up feeling under the weather, complaining to her mother about a runny nose—possibly an early sign of COVID-19, as another child in the household was diagnosed with the virus days later, and soon the entire family fell ill. Despite feeling unwell, Nevaeh was cheerful, excited about plans to go to the theater with friends that evening. Teddi, heading to her evening shift at work until midnight, agreed on a curfew and left home, reassured by her daughter’s enthusiasm.

But Nevaeh never made it to the movies. For reasons that remain unclear, she instead ended up at a party on a neighboring reservation. When Teddi called to check in around 8:00 p.m., Nevaeh didn’t answer, leading her mother to assume she was still at the theater. As time passed with no response, Teddi’s concern grew. Finally, Nevaeh picked up the phone, but she was crying and slurring her words, alarming Teddi enough to leave work early and rush home.

What Teddi found was chaos. A group of teenagers, most unfamiliar to her, had taken over the house, many intoxicated. One teen later required hospitalization for alcohol poisoning. It seemed the loosening grip of pandemic restrictions had sparked a wave of parties across Bemidji that night, with teens moving between homes in search of celebration and connection. After being thrown out of a party at a separate home, they ended up moving to Neveah’s. Upstairs, Teddi found Nevaeh, clearly under the influence and upset at being caught hosting an unapproved gathering. As Teddi confronted her daughter and tried to clear the house, one girl became aggressive, prompting Teddi to step outside and call the police.

When officers arrived to disperse the crowd and assist the intoxicated teens, Nevaeh was nowhere to be found. Witnesses later reported seeing her slip out the back door during the commotion. She reappeared at two other parties in the early morning hours, first at a home on Carter Circle around 1:00 a.m., then heading toward Southview Terace Park. There, Nevaeh and a female friend climbed through the bedroom window of a boy they knew in a trailer park. They talked for a while until the boy’s father, hearing voices, knocked on the door around 2:00 a.m. and told them to leave. Startled, Nevaeh jumped out the window, possibly hitting her head on the frame. Witnesses said she lay on the ground briefly before fleeing alone into the dark streets. The boy would later come forward to deliver Neveah and her friend’s phones to police after he found them hidden in his room where they fell in the chaos of the girls escaping the house. A search of Neveah’s phone turned up no new information and no evidence that she was planning to meet someone or had been on any of her social media accounts since her disappearance. 

---

Police would later uncover that Neveah may have been seen near Washington Avenue and Pine Grove between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. that morning, though no further details emerged to confirm the sighting.

Months later, the police investigation would unveil one final, likely sighting of Nevaeh from that day. Approximately eight hours after Nevaeh fled the trailer home, an unknown female matching Nevaeh’s description knocked on the door of a nearby home along the main road leading out of town. The girl, described as Native American with dark and wavy hair with highlights, asked the family living there about someone they did not know. She then left and it was not until later the following day that the family found two windows in their garage broken. They described the clothing the girl wore and it matched Nevaeh’s clothing very closely; however, they did not recognized Nevaeh from photos when shown. There is some possibility that Nevaeh rode out the cold winter night in their garage before moving on her way. 

---

The search for Nevaeh was significantly delayed due to the fact that she was initially classified as a likely runaway. Both Nevaeh and her sister Lakaylee had run away from home numerous times in the past; Nevaeh had once stayed away from as much as a month. Lakaylee was not at home at the time and based on the events that had occurred that night, it was not infeasible that Nevaeh would be hiding out to avoid getting into trouble. 

But as weeks passed, Nevaeh did not return. She did not use her social media accounts. She didn’t contact her friends or family. Not even her sister Lakaylee; Nevaeh had always stayed in touch with her somehow, even if it meant borrowing someone else’s media account to reach out. After thirty days, a police detective was finally assigned to the case and an investigation was launched; unfortunately at that point a significant amount of time had already lapsed.

A police detective was assigned to the case after 30 days, but the delay meant critical time had been lost. Searches covering 500 acres of land and waterways turned up nothing, even with fears that Nevaeh might have been injured after hitting her head. A second search of 1,000 acres in spring, after the snow melted, yielded no clues. In September 2023, 100–150 people, including indigenous groups and police, conducted another large search, but Nevaeh remained missing.

Nevaeh is one of several Ojibwe children and teens who have vanished in recent years, leaving a community grappling with grief and unanswered questions. Was foul play involved? Did an accident claim her? Or did she, as some initially thought, simply run away? Without evidence, her fate remains a mystery, and her story a haunting reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by young people in even the most serene of places.

1. A couple of sources say she was a member of the Leech Lake Tribe, but the vast majority say she was part of the Red Lake tribe. ↩︎

---

Comparison to Jeremy Leon Jourdain

Five years earlier, on October 31, 2016, seventeen-year-old Jeremy Jourdain—also a Native American teen—was visiting Bemidji from Cass Lake to attend a Halloween weekend party with friends. As the night wore on, Jeremy abruptly stood up, announced that he wanted to leave, and bolted out the door around midnight. He never made it home. Search dogs traced his scent to the intersection of Wood Avenue and 6th Street, but the trail ended there. Authorities speculated he might have attempted to walk the 14 miles back to Cass Lake or accepted a ride from someone passing through, but neither theory has ever been confirmed. His sudden flight and complete disappearance were deeply out of character, leading family and investigators alike to believe something more sinister occurred.

---

Multiple Victims?: No

Rumored or Actual Sightings: A resident reported seeing a young female matching Nevaeh’s description between 3:30 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. on October 22 in the area of Washington Ave SW & Pine Grove St SW — just south of Southview Terrace Park. The clothing matched what she was believed to be wearing: either a black zip‑up hoodie or a red hoodie with a Bulls logo, blue skinny jeans, a white undershirt/tank top, and black‑and‑red Nike sandals.

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Date the Body was Recovered:

Description: Unknown

Time of Death:

Cause of Death:

Recovered Remains (if partial):

Suspected Homicide?: No

Multiple Victims?: No

DNA Tested (No Match):

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Description:

License Plate:

Description: