Overview of Nevaeh Kingbird
Nevaeh Kingbird is an artistic young woman with big dreams. Her loved ones say she would never vanish and leave her friends and family behind.
Nevaeh was just a freshman in high school in the fall of 2021. Her mother, Teddi Wind, says she wanted to go to college in Colorado when she graduated and was excited to travel as she got older.
Living in Bemidji wasn't always easy. Nevaeh struggled with mental health issues considering she was diagnosed with bipolar. She was also having a difficult few months before she vanished because she had lost two friends to suicide.
"I just put a lot of time and effort to protect her," Teddi told NBC News. "I just wanted to hide her from the world. She's completely beautiful and I was afraid for her because of how beautiful she is." In the overnight hours of October 22, 2021, Teddi rushed home because she identified that Nevaeh was slurring her words over the phone. When she gets to the house, Teddi is shocked to see so many teenagers in the house, uninvited.
She steps outside back to her truck to call the police. When the officers arrive and help Teddi get the teenagers out, Teddi notices that Nevaeh isn't with the group. People at the party say Nevaeh left out the back door with one of her cousins.
Later that night, Nevaeh is seen at two different parties before rumors spread that she hit her head while jumping out of a window, and ran off into the night. Detectives later find Nevaeh's phone at one of the homes in question.
Nevaeh was originally reported as a runaway by her family during the daytime hours on October 22, 2021. It's uncharacteristic of her to be away from her friends and family for so long. She has had no contact with her loved ones.
The police note that a large-scale search, covering over 500 acres has included water and wetland areas, drone searches, K9 searches, and ground searches. Unfortunately, all efforts to date have not helped locate Nevaeh.
Nevaeh is described as a Native American female with a light complexion, 5-feet 4-inches tall and 120 pounds. She has brown eyes, long, dark-colored hair with highlights and a scar near her left eyebrow. She can speak Ojibwe fluently.
It is believed Nevaeh was last seen wearing jeans, a white T-shirt or tank top and either a black zip-up hooded sweatshirt or a red sweatshirt with a Chicago Bulls logo on the front.
If you have any information that can help bring Nevaeh home, please contact the Bemidji Police Department at (218) 333-9111 or submit an anonymous tip at Crime Stoppers of Minnesota.