Remains in North Dakota linked to Reservation

Remains of a missing person from the Flathead Indian Reservation have been found in North Dakota, according to officials.

The remains have been identified as Darlene Billie of St. Ignatius.

A press release from the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office stated that on Sept. 3, authorities were dispatched to an area where human remains were located.

Officials have not released the identity of the person.

DCSO Deputy Timothy Sul said that officials are waiting for results of a medical examiner’s report to determine the cause of death.

Billie, 55, hadn’t been in contact since last October with her daughter, Jaylen Carpentier, as previously reported by The Leader in February.

During their last conversation over the telephone, Billie offered to send money to Carpentier for her then-unborn baby.

It wasn’t until December 2017 that Carpentier hadn’t been seen in weeks.

Carpentier noted that Billie was in North Dakota with her husband, and allegedly hadn’t come back to Montana with him.

Once Carpentier heard about her mother, she contacted Flathead Tribal Police who then worked with law enforcement in North Dakota.

The FBI provided assistance with the investigation, and Sul said that the case is still being reviewed.