Ashley Mariah Loring- Heavy Runner

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Blackfeet Law Enforcement (MT)

Missing From:

Browning, MT

Reward:

up to $50,000

Not from STC, Conditions and restrictions apply

Summary:

Ashley Mariah Loring-HeavyRunner, a 20-year-old member of the Blackfeet Tribe, vanished from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning, Montana on June 5, 2017. She was a student at Blackfeet Community College studying environmental science and had plans to transfer to the University of Montana. Ashley was last seen at a party on the reservation that evening and sent a final text message to her sister asking for money. She has not been seen or heard from since.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

On June 5, 2017, Ashley left her family home and got into a friend's vehicle carrying a blue string backpack. She said goodbye to her grandmother before leaving. That evening, she was seen at a party on the Blackfeet Reservation, captured on video sitting on a couch. She sent a text message to her sister Kimberly, who was vacationing in Morocco, asking for money. This was the last confirmed communication from Ashley. When her family could not reach her in the days that followed, they initially thought she was visiting a friend or had lost her phone. By June 8, the family became concerned and contacted Blackfeet Law Enforcement.

Additional Details:

Sam McDonald was among the last known people to be with Ashley. He stated that after the June 5 party, the two went to his cabin where they stayed for several days. On June 11, McDonald said he told Ashley it was time to return home. As they drove, Ashley reportedly asked him to pull over so someone known as "V-Dog" (Paul Valenzuela) could pick her up. She also asked for directions to a cabin in the area. McDonald claimed he then fell asleep in his vehicle and when he awoke, Ashley was gone. Two weeks after Ashley was last seen, the family received a tip that a young woman had been spotted running from a vehicle on U.S. Highway 89 on the reservation. During a search near the northern edge of the reservation, Kimberly and a family friend discovered a tattered gray sweater and a pair of red-stained boots near Sam McDonald's property. Witnesses confirmed the sweater matched what Ashley was wearing the night she disappeared. The items were turned over to law enforcement but reportedly sat untested in a BIA evidence box for six months. Blackfeet Law Enforcement and the BIA conducted a three-day search with no significant findings. It was approximately two months before the BIA focused attention on the case. In February 2018, the FBI announced it was joining the investigation at the BIA's request. Ashley's sister Kimberly has conducted over 120 independent searches and has been a tireless advocate for the case.

Case Last Updated:

Apr 04, 2026