Henny Scott by Katie Fire Thunder

“There are going to be many times when you are going to be the only one like you in a room, and the thing I want you to remember is when you are in that room we are all in that room with you, cheering you on. So chin up, shoulders back and use your voice and speak for all the people who are so proud you are in that room,” stated California Senator Kamala Harris (D).  During the House Hearing of the Hanna’s Act on January 30th in Helena Montana a woman with tears in her eyes and a tissue held tightly in her left hand walked up to the stand. Behind her sat a flood of those wearing red while in front of her sat men in suits, and women with their hair pinned up. She takes a few deep breaths, and begins to say “Hello my name is Paula Castro-Stops…and when I reported my daughter missing I ran into the same issues.” And she begins to tell her daughter’s story, trying to get the crowd to understand her pain, and many Indigenous peoples’ pain across so-called America and Canada.

Henny Scott was a 14 year old freshman at Lame Deer High School. When speaking to Henny’s mother, she described Henny as “someone who was always laughing and was making new friends.” Based on letters a recruiter later found in her locker, she had dreams of being a doctor, and joining the Marines. However in December, when Henny did not return home to her mother, everything  changed. When going to the police, Paula was told that she had probably just ran away and to just check with Henny’s friends. Paula reached out on Facebook to see if anyone had heard of her whereabouts. She explains, “People would tell me they saw her here, saw her there, and I would go and tell the police and they never did anything with it.” With no help from Lame Deer officials, Paula went to Crow officials where she would later learn her missing persons’ report “just sat on someone's desk” while investigators were on Christmas on vacation.

Similar to most teenagers, Henny was often on her phone and always had her phone on her. When she went missing, all of her online activity was cut off. Around that time, there was a Snapchat video of Henny being jumped circulating. Paula took this tip to the police and after investigating, they ruled the video to be unreliable. Two weeks had gone by and with no help from police, Paula and Henny’s family created their own search party. On December 21, 2018, a volunteer found Henny Scott’s body. 

In March of 2019, an autopsy of Henny was conducted. It was concluded that the cause of death was hypothermia, with no foul play. This caused confusion and anger within the community as her body was found covered with scratches, bruises, and even a broken nose.  When the cause of death was released, Paula did not even hear from the coroner or federal officials;she found out her daughter’s cause of death from the local newspaper, the Billings Gazette. 

After the cause of death was released, the little communication to Paula continued. In August of 2019, Federal officials announced that they would be closing Henny’s case. When Federal Officials met with Henny’s family, Paula recalled, “They just kept talking about her alcohol level, saying that maybe she just passed out, out there and froze. Didn’t say anything more about the assault she inflicted, according to them, she wasn’t assaulted.” Federal Officials are refusing to release the autopsy photos to Henny’s family. Paula is currently trying to file for an order to obtain this information. 

The story of Henny Scott is just one story out of thousands of Indigenous women and girls who are not receiving the justice they deserve. Henny Scott was a girl with dreams and aspirations in life that she will not be able to achieve. Her life was ripped away, followed by inherent blatant racism and disregard for Indigenous women and girls in the justice system. Her family has yet to obtain the justice they deserve.

While speaking to families who are currently trying to find justice for their loved ones, I often found a similar thread. Many of these families feel that the officials involved in their cases are not doing enough or they are in a place where they are needing more help then they are receiving. So I am calling on you. If you or someone you know can help Henny's family, or families like hers, in any way, please reach out. Whether it be providing legal aid, having ideas on how to reopen Henny’s case, or just by knowing more information. Please email me. We are not done fighting.

Katie Fire Thunder interviews families and writes columns on Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women for Changing Womxn Collective. She can be reached at 14katiefirethunder@gmail.com.