The August 2016 missing case of Carla Yellowbird remained a perplexing matter to authorities until a shocking confession led to the discovery of her remains a month later and implicated three men in the murder. Yellowbird, a mother of seven from Mandan, North Dakota, was last seen on August 23 with Suna Guy before heading to Spirit Lake Indian Reservation for an alleged drug run.
Guy admitted to plotting to rob her of money and her belongings with Dakota Charboneau and Daylin St. Pierre. She was accidentally shot by Pierre. The trio were charged more than a year later, and all three pleaded guilty to separate charges. They were then handed lengthy sentences respectively.
Carla Yellowbird's puzzling case is set to be revisited on Oxygen's Dateline: Unforgettable this Wednesday, September 6, 2023. The episode, titled The Secret of Spirit Lake, will air on the channel at 8 pm ET.
Here's an official synopsis for the upcoming episode:
"An advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women searches for answers in the disappearance of her niece and exposes cracks in law enforcement; Andrea Canning looks back on this important story, one that became her passion project."
How was Carla Yellowbird's murder case solved?
A year after Carla Yellowbird was shot to death at the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation, three suspects were charged with federal counts, including felony murder and other related charges in connection with the case.
Suna Guy, Dakota Charboneau, and Daylin St. Pierre had reportedly conspired to rob Yellowbird of money and her belongings when she drove with Guy to the remote Spirit Lake Indian Reservation area on the night of August 23, 2016.
According to The Cinemaholic, Yellowbird and Guy drove to the reservations area to sell drugs, following which the former went missing. Guy was the primary suspect since he was the last person she was seen with.
The suspect was pursued by authorities and Yellowbird's family, possibly because of his criminal background, until he confessed under pressure. He admitted to plotting to rob the 27-year-old with Charboneau. Their Facebook chats corroborated this claim. Pierre was involved in the plan later.
At the remote location, the trio tried to rob Yellowbird, during which Pierre struck her with a gun. The gun accidentally discharged, killing the mother-of-seven in the early morning hours of August 24.
Following his confession, Guy cooperated with authorities and led them to Yellowbird's body, which was found concealed under bushes near St. Michael a month later, i.e., in September 2016. An autopsy confirmed that she was shot at close range and died of a gunshot wound to the head.
Once Yellowbird was dead, the trio returned to Charboneau's apartment with the cash and drugs. There, they tried to cover up the crime by burning the victim's clothes and other belongings.
All three suspects charged with Carla Yellowbird's murder are currently serving their respective terms in federal prison
According to a Grand Forks Herald report, Suna Guy pleaded guilty to felony murder in a federal court in June 2017. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. A year later, Daylin St. Pierre and Dakota Charboneau were charged with federal counts of murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, and use of a firearm in a felony crime of violence in Carla Yellowbird's shooting death.
The North Dakota DA Office reported that in November 2018, 21-year-old Pierre was sentenced to twenty-seven-and-a-half years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, use of a firearm, and felony murder. This sentence was followed by a five-year supervised release.
That same month, Charboneau, 24, also pleaded guilty to charges including second-degree murder, aiding and abetting, and use of a firearm. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. The convict was later given an additional 60-year term for three unrelated assaults.
According to The Cinemaholic, Suna Guy is incarcerated at the FCI Greenville. Meanwhile, Daylin St. Pierre and Dakota Charboneau are serving their sentences in USP Big Sandy and the Thomson-based United States Penitentiary, respectively.
Oxygen's Dateline: Unforgettable will further delve into Carla Yellowbird's murder case this Wednesday at 8 pm ET.
