FARGO – A funeral for Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, whose killing has prompted outpourings of grief around the region, will be this week in Fargo.
The funeral is set for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, at First Assembly Church, 3401 25th St. S.
Thursday’s service will be open to the public, a representative from Boulger Funeral Home said. The maximum capacity of First Assembly Church is unknown, but it hosts an average of about 1,200 people for services each Sunday, according to the church’s website.
LaFontaine-Greywind, 22, was born in Belcourt, N.D. on Aug. 9, 1995, and grew up in Fargo, according to the funeral home’s website.Savanna, a member of the Spirit Lake tribe, was born in Belcourt, N.D. Her father is a Spirit Lake member, while her mother is a member of the Turtle Mountain tribe.
Her family moved to Fargo when she was young, but returned to the Spirit Lake Reservation, near Devils Lake, when she was 9 years old. She graduated from Warwick (ND) Public School on the reservation in 2013 and then attended Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, earning a certificate as a certified nursing assistant. She went to work at a senior citizens home there that was later purchased by Eventide.
She met her boyfriend in middle school in Devils Lake, and they have been together for seven years. Like her, he is a Spirit Lake member. He was living and working in Minneapolis when she became pregnant, and moved to Fargo in anticipation of their daughter's birth.
She earned a certified nursing assistant license in 2014 and started working at Eventide Nursing Home in Spirit Lake before transferring to Eventide in Fargo in January 2016.
She and her boyfriend Ashton, 21, began dating her freshman year of high school, and the two were looking forward to raising a family, the obituary said.
“Family was everything to Savanna,” the obituary said. “She loved horses, all animals, the residents that she helped, and all the children in her life. She helped raise her niece, Odessa, and nephew Shane Jr. Those kids were a huge part of her life and everything she did revolved around them. Savanna’s grandparents, Clarence Lafontaine and Edward Greywind were an important part of her life. All of Savanna’s family and Ashton will miss her tremendously.”
LaFontaine-Greywind went missing from her north Fargo apartment on Saturday, Aug. 19. At the time of her disappearance, she was eight months pregnant.
On Thursday, Aug. 24, police found a baby girl in an apartment above where LaFontaine-Greywind lived with her parents. The missing woman’s body was found in the Red River on Sunday, Aug. 27. In the wake of her death, memorial services were held in Fargo and other nearby cities.
Brooke Lynn Crews, 38, and William Henry Hoehn, 32, who lived in the apartment where the baby was found, were arrested, and both have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and giving false information to police.
Police have not released when or how LaFontaine-Greywind died. A preliminary autopsy report said she was a victim of a homicide. The baby found is believed to be hers, but the child was placed under the care of Cass County Social Services, while authorities await DNA confirmation.
According to her obituary, LaFontaine-Greywind is survived by her daughter, Haisley Jo; her parents, Norberta and Joe Greywind; her brothers Joe Greywind Jr. and Casey Greywind; her sister, Kayla Greywind; her grandparents Clarence and Edward; and niece and nephew, Odessa and Shane Jr.
Source: http://bismarcktribune.com
*******
FARGO -- Hundreds of people honored the life of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind at her funeral Thursday.
Savanna went missing on August 19th. Her body was found in the Red River over a week later.
The First Assembly Church in Fargo held a vigil Wednesday night and a funeral service for Savanna Thursday morning.
Around 200 people went to the service Thursday.
Media was not allowed in and WDAY respectfully stayed off church grounds.
Now, some people who attended said there were two Native American songs to honor Savanna's life.
The Pastor from First Assembly, Bob Ona, officiated the ceremony Thursday morning, while others from Spirit Lake Reservation spoke.
Mayor Tim Mahoney also offered some words at the service.
Later, only family was allowed to follow in the procession.
The horse drawn carriage transported her body to the cemetary.
One lone horse was not saddled, and without a rider.
According to Savanna's obituary, she loved her family first, but also loved all animals, especially horses.
Savanna is now laid to rest at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Fargo.
There were also 'spiritual items' on her casket. According to the family's beliefs, they will accompany Savanna on her journey from this life to eternal life.
WDAY also learned Haisley Jo, the baby believed to be Savanna's, went to both Wednesday night's vigil and the funeral services Thursday.
The child has been in the protection of Cass County Social Services after police found the baby with Brooke Crews in the upstairs apartment in the building where Savanna was last seen.
Crews and William Hoehn are facing charges in connection with Savanna's disappearance and death.
There's still no official word on DNA tests to confirm the baby is indeed Savanna's.
Social services would not comment on whether or not the baby has been permanently released back to the family, or if the child was temporarily released for Savanna's services.
*******
Savanna Lafontaine-Greywind, the 22-year-old expectant mother who was allegedly murdered in August, was laid to rest Thursday morning in an emotional service.
“It was a very beautiful service befitting of Savanna,” family spokeswoman Janel Herald tells PEOPLE.
Lafontaine-Greywind’s parents and her longtime boyfriend, Ashton Matheny, brought a newborn infant believed to be the baby that was ripped out of her womb, to the service. (Authorities are awaiting DNA testing to confirm that the baby, named Haisley Jo, is Lafontaine-Greywind’s.)
“It was wonderful that Haisley Jo was able to spend those moments along with her family, as well,” she says.
Nearly 1,000 mourners joined the slain woman’s family and friends at the First Assembly Church in Fargo, North Dakota, to pay their final, tearful respects to Lafontaine-Greywind, who was remembered as kind and loving.
After the church service, a horse-drawn carriage carried the casket to the cemetery for a private burial. Ten horses followed behind in the somber procession, including one that didn’t have a rider, signifying Lafontaine-Greywind, who according to reports was a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe.
The service included Native American songs and tributes, according to local news station KFYR TV.
Mourners wore red shirts to honor Lafontaine-Greywind and other murdered and missing indigenous women, the outlet reports.
Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney said that the entire community “lost a daughter,” local news station KVRR reports.
‘She Loved Everyone’
Lafontaine-Greywind was eight months pregnant when she vanished on Saturday, Aug. 19 after walking upstairs to the apartment of neighbor Brooke Lynn Crews, 38, who had asked her to model a dress she claimed she was sewing and needed to pin, according to the Fargo Police.
She and Matheny, her boyfriend of 7 years, were expecting their first child together and were planning on moving into a new apartment in Fargo in September.
Her parents were thrilled that their eldest child was going to become a mother. “She loved everyone,” her mother, Norberta Lafontaine-Greywind told PEOPLE previously.
When Lafontaine-Greywind failed to return home after more than an hour that fateful Saturday, her worried parents called the police, who questioned Crews and searched her apartment, finding no sign of the mother-to-be.
Several days after Lafontaine-Greywind vanished, neighbors in the seven-unit apartment building where she lived with her parents and 16-year-old brother, told police they heard a baby crying, noting they were unaware that a baby lived in the building.
When authorities searched the neighbors’ apartment with a search warrant, they found Crews with a newborn, whom authorities strongly believe is Lafontaine-Greywind’s baby girl but are awaiting DNA confirmation to prove that.
On Aug. 24, Crews and her boyfriend, William Henry Hoehn, 32, who police say also lived in the apartment, were both arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and giving false information to police.
Both Crews and Hoehn remain in Cass County Jail where they are being held on a $2 million bond. They have not yet entered pleas to the charges against them.
Hoehn’s attorney, Steve Mottinger, had no comment. Crews’ attorney did not immediately return calls for comment.
The pair gave authorities information that led them to believe the baby belonged to Lafontaine-Greywind, but the pair would not reveal where her body had allegedly been taken, police said.
Nine days after Lafontaine-Greywind vanished, kayakers found her body in the nearby Red River, wrapped in plastic and duct tape.
Police have not released details about when or how LaFontaine-Greywind died or how the baby was allegedly taken from her.
The court has since sealed search warrant records to help maintain the suspect’s rights to a fair trial, local news station Valley News Live reported.
A preliminary autopsy report said the young mother-to-be was a victim of a homicide. The baby has been placed under the care of Cass County Social Services while authorities await DNA confirmation.
“Family was everything to Savanna,” the Boulger Funeral Home’s website says. “She helped raise her niece, Odessa, and nephew Shane Jr. Those kids were a huge part of her life and everything she did revolved around them. All of Savanna’s family and Ashton will miss her tremendously.”
A donation page has been set up for the newborn believed to be Lafontaine-Greywind’s daughter, Haisley Jo.
Source: People Crime 9.8.17 edition
The funeral is set for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, at First Assembly Church, 3401 25th St. S.
Thursday’s service will be open to the public, a representative from Boulger Funeral Home said. The maximum capacity of First Assembly Church is unknown, but it hosts an average of about 1,200 people for services each Sunday, according to the church’s website.
LaFontaine-Greywind, 22, was born in Belcourt, N.D. on Aug. 9, 1995, and grew up in Fargo, according to the funeral home’s website.Savanna, a member of the Spirit Lake tribe, was born in Belcourt, N.D. Her father is a Spirit Lake member, while her mother is a member of the Turtle Mountain tribe.
Her family moved to Fargo when she was young, but returned to the Spirit Lake Reservation, near Devils Lake, when she was 9 years old. She graduated from Warwick (ND) Public School on the reservation in 2013 and then attended Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, earning a certificate as a certified nursing assistant. She went to work at a senior citizens home there that was later purchased by Eventide.
She met her boyfriend in middle school in Devils Lake, and they have been together for seven years. Like her, he is a Spirit Lake member. He was living and working in Minneapolis when she became pregnant, and moved to Fargo in anticipation of their daughter's birth.
She earned a certified nursing assistant license in 2014 and started working at Eventide Nursing Home in Spirit Lake before transferring to Eventide in Fargo in January 2016.
She and her boyfriend Ashton, 21, began dating her freshman year of high school, and the two were looking forward to raising a family, the obituary said.
“Family was everything to Savanna,” the obituary said. “She loved horses, all animals, the residents that she helped, and all the children in her life. She helped raise her niece, Odessa, and nephew Shane Jr. Those kids were a huge part of her life and everything she did revolved around them. Savanna’s grandparents, Clarence Lafontaine and Edward Greywind were an important part of her life. All of Savanna’s family and Ashton will miss her tremendously.”
LaFontaine-Greywind went missing from her north Fargo apartment on Saturday, Aug. 19. At the time of her disappearance, she was eight months pregnant.
On Thursday, Aug. 24, police found a baby girl in an apartment above where LaFontaine-Greywind lived with her parents. The missing woman’s body was found in the Red River on Sunday, Aug. 27. In the wake of her death, memorial services were held in Fargo and other nearby cities.
Brooke Lynn Crews, 38, and William Henry Hoehn, 32, who lived in the apartment where the baby was found, were arrested, and both have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and giving false information to police.
Police have not released when or how LaFontaine-Greywind died. A preliminary autopsy report said she was a victim of a homicide. The baby found is believed to be hers, but the child was placed under the care of Cass County Social Services, while authorities await DNA confirmation.
According to her obituary, LaFontaine-Greywind is survived by her daughter, Haisley Jo; her parents, Norberta and Joe Greywind; her brothers Joe Greywind Jr. and Casey Greywind; her sister, Kayla Greywind; her grandparents Clarence and Edward; and niece and nephew, Odessa and Shane Jr.
Source: http://bismarcktribune.com
*******
FARGO -- Hundreds of people honored the life of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind at her funeral Thursday.
Savanna went missing on August 19th. Her body was found in the Red River over a week later.
The First Assembly Church in Fargo held a vigil Wednesday night and a funeral service for Savanna Thursday morning.
Around 200 people went to the service Thursday.
Media was not allowed in and WDAY respectfully stayed off church grounds.
Now, some people who attended said there were two Native American songs to honor Savanna's life.
The Pastor from First Assembly, Bob Ona, officiated the ceremony Thursday morning, while others from Spirit Lake Reservation spoke.
Mayor Tim Mahoney also offered some words at the service.
Later, only family was allowed to follow in the procession.
The horse drawn carriage transported her body to the cemetary.
One lone horse was not saddled, and without a rider.
According to Savanna's obituary, she loved her family first, but also loved all animals, especially horses.
Savanna is now laid to rest at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Fargo.
There were also 'spiritual items' on her casket. According to the family's beliefs, they will accompany Savanna on her journey from this life to eternal life.
WDAY also learned Haisley Jo, the baby believed to be Savanna's, went to both Wednesday night's vigil and the funeral services Thursday.
The child has been in the protection of Cass County Social Services after police found the baby with Brooke Crews in the upstairs apartment in the building where Savanna was last seen.
Crews and William Hoehn are facing charges in connection with Savanna's disappearance and death.
There's still no official word on DNA tests to confirm the baby is indeed Savanna's.
Social services would not comment on whether or not the baby has been permanently released back to the family, or if the child was temporarily released for Savanna's services.
*******
Savanna Lafontaine-Greywind, the 22-year-old expectant mother who was allegedly murdered in August, was laid to rest Thursday morning in an emotional service.
“It was a very beautiful service befitting of Savanna,” family spokeswoman Janel Herald tells PEOPLE.
Lafontaine-Greywind’s parents and her longtime boyfriend, Ashton Matheny, brought a newborn infant believed to be the baby that was ripped out of her womb, to the service. (Authorities are awaiting DNA testing to confirm that the baby, named Haisley Jo, is Lafontaine-Greywind’s.)
“It was wonderful that Haisley Jo was able to spend those moments along with her family, as well,” she says.
Nearly 1,000 mourners joined the slain woman’s family and friends at the First Assembly Church in Fargo, North Dakota, to pay their final, tearful respects to Lafontaine-Greywind, who was remembered as kind and loving.
After the church service, a horse-drawn carriage carried the casket to the cemetery for a private burial. Ten horses followed behind in the somber procession, including one that didn’t have a rider, signifying Lafontaine-Greywind, who according to reports was a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe.
The service included Native American songs and tributes, according to local news station KFYR TV.
Mourners wore red shirts to honor Lafontaine-Greywind and other murdered and missing indigenous women, the outlet reports.
Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney said that the entire community “lost a daughter,” local news station KVRR reports.
‘She Loved Everyone’
Lafontaine-Greywind was eight months pregnant when she vanished on Saturday, Aug. 19 after walking upstairs to the apartment of neighbor Brooke Lynn Crews, 38, who had asked her to model a dress she claimed she was sewing and needed to pin, according to the Fargo Police.
She and Matheny, her boyfriend of 7 years, were expecting their first child together and were planning on moving into a new apartment in Fargo in September.
Her parents were thrilled that their eldest child was going to become a mother. “She loved everyone,” her mother, Norberta Lafontaine-Greywind told PEOPLE previously.
When Lafontaine-Greywind failed to return home after more than an hour that fateful Saturday, her worried parents called the police, who questioned Crews and searched her apartment, finding no sign of the mother-to-be.
Several days after Lafontaine-Greywind vanished, neighbors in the seven-unit apartment building where she lived with her parents and 16-year-old brother, told police they heard a baby crying, noting they were unaware that a baby lived in the building.
When authorities searched the neighbors’ apartment with a search warrant, they found Crews with a newborn, whom authorities strongly believe is Lafontaine-Greywind’s baby girl but are awaiting DNA confirmation to prove that.
On Aug. 24, Crews and her boyfriend, William Henry Hoehn, 32, who police say also lived in the apartment, were both arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and giving false information to police.
Both Crews and Hoehn remain in Cass County Jail where they are being held on a $2 million bond. They have not yet entered pleas to the charges against them.
Hoehn’s attorney, Steve Mottinger, had no comment. Crews’ attorney did not immediately return calls for comment.
The pair gave authorities information that led them to believe the baby belonged to Lafontaine-Greywind, but the pair would not reveal where her body had allegedly been taken, police said.
Nine days after Lafontaine-Greywind vanished, kayakers found her body in the nearby Red River, wrapped in plastic and duct tape.
Police have not released details about when or how LaFontaine-Greywind died or how the baby was allegedly taken from her.
The court has since sealed search warrant records to help maintain the suspect’s rights to a fair trial, local news station Valley News Live reported.
A preliminary autopsy report said the young mother-to-be was a victim of a homicide. The baby has been placed under the care of Cass County Social Services while authorities await DNA confirmation.
“Family was everything to Savanna,” the Boulger Funeral Home’s website says. “She helped raise her niece, Odessa, and nephew Shane Jr. Those kids were a huge part of her life and everything she did revolved around them. All of Savanna’s family and Ashton will miss her tremendously.”
A donation page has been set up for the newborn believed to be Lafontaine-Greywind’s daughter, Haisley Jo.
Source: People Crime 9.8.17 edition
FARGO – A funeral for Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, whose killing has prompted outpourings of grief around the region, will be this week in Fargo.
The funeral is set for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, at First Assembly Church, 3401 25th St. S.
Thursday’s service will be open to the public, a representative from Boulger Funeral Home said. The maximum capacity of First Assembly Church is unknown, but it hosts an average of about 1,200 people for services each Sunday, according to the church’s website.
LaFontaine-Greywind, 22, was born in Belcourt, N.D. on Aug. 9, 1995, and grew up in Fargo, according to the funeral home’s website.Savanna, a member of the Spirit Lake tribe, was born in Belcourt, N.D. Her father is a Spirit Lake member, while her mother is a member of the Turtle Mountain tribe.
Her family moved to Fargo when she was young, but returned to the Spirit Lake Reservation, near Devils Lake, when she was 9 years old. She graduated from Warwick (ND) Public School on the reservation in 2013 and then attended Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, earning a certificate as a certified nursing assistant. She went to work at a senior citizens home there that was later purchased by Eventide.
She met her boyfriend in middle school in Devils Lake, and they have been together for seven years. Like her, he is a Spirit Lake member. He was living and working in Minneapolis when she became pregnant, and moved to Fargo in anticipation of their daughter's birth.
She earned a certified nursing assistant license in 2014 and started working at Eventide Nursing Home in Spirit Lake before transferring to Eventide in Fargo in January 2016.
She and her boyfriend Ashton, 21, began dating her freshman year of high school, and the two were looking forward to raising a family, the obituary said.
“Family was everything to Savanna,” the obituary said. “She loved horses, all animals, the residents that she helped, and all the children in her life. She helped raise her niece, Odessa, and nephew Shane Jr. Those kids were a huge part of her life and everything she did revolved around them. Savanna’s grandparents, Clarence Lafontaine and Edward Greywind were an important part of her life. All of Savanna’s family and Ashton will miss her tremendously.”
LaFontaine-Greywind went missing from her north Fargo apartment on Saturday, Aug. 19. At the time of her disappearance, she was eight months pregnant.
On Thursday, Aug. 24, police found a baby girl in an apartment above where LaFontaine-Greywind lived with her parents. The missing woman’s body was found in the Red River on Sunday, Aug. 27. In the wake of her death, memorial services were held in Fargo and other nearby cities.
Brooke Lynn Crews, 38, and William Henry Hoehn, 32, who lived in the apartment where the baby was found, were arrested, and both have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and giving false information to police.
Police have not released when or how LaFontaine-Greywind died. A preliminary autopsy report said she was a victim of a homicide. The baby found is believed to be hers, but the child was placed under the care of Cass County Social Services, while authorities await DNA confirmation.
According to her obituary, LaFontaine-Greywind is survived by her daughter, Haisley Jo; her parents, Norberta and Joe Greywind; her brothers Joe Greywind Jr. and Casey Greywind; her sister, Kayla Greywind; her grandparents Clarence and Edward; and niece and nephew, Odessa and Shane Jr.
Source: http://bismarcktribune.com
*******
FARGO -- Hundreds of people honored the life of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind at her funeral Thursday.
Savanna went missing on August 19th. Her body was found in the Red River over a week later.
The First Assembly Church in Fargo held a vigil Wednesday night and a funeral service for Savanna Thursday morning.
Around 200 people went to the service Thursday.
Media was not allowed in and WDAY respectfully stayed off church grounds.
Now, some people who attended said there were two Native American songs to honor Savanna's life.
The Pastor from First Assembly, Bob Ona, officiated the ceremony Thursday morning, while others from Spirit Lake Reservation spoke.
Mayor Tim Mahoney also offered some words at the service.
Later, only family was allowed to follow in the procession.
The horse drawn carriage transported her body to the cemetary.
One lone horse was not saddled, and without a rider.
According to Savanna's obituary, she loved her family first, but also loved all animals, especially horses.
Savanna is now laid to rest at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Fargo.
There were also 'spiritual items' on her casket. According to the family's beliefs, they will accompany Savanna on her journey from this life to eternal life.
WDAY also learned Haisley Jo, the baby believed to be Savanna's, went to both Wednesday night's vigil and the funeral services Thursday.
The child has been in the protection of Cass County Social Services after police found the baby with Brooke Crews in the upstairs apartment in the building where Savanna was last seen.
Crews and William Hoehn are facing charges in connection with Savanna's disappearance and death.
There's still no official word on DNA tests to confirm the baby is indeed Savanna's.
Social services would not comment on whether or not the baby has been permanently released back to the family, or if the child was temporarily released for Savanna's services.
*******
Savanna Lafontaine-Greywind, the 22-year-old expectant mother who was allegedly murdered in August, was laid to rest Thursday morning in an emotional service.
“It was a very beautiful service befitting of Savanna,” family spokeswoman Janel Herald tells PEOPLE.
Lafontaine-Greywind’s parents and her longtime boyfriend, Ashton Matheny, brought a newborn infant believed to be the baby that was ripped out of her womb, to the service. (Authorities are awaiting DNA testing to confirm that the baby, named Haisley Jo, is Lafontaine-Greywind’s.)
“It was wonderful that Haisley Jo was able to spend those moments along with her family, as well,” she says.
Nearly 1,000 mourners joined the slain woman’s family and friends at the First Assembly Church in Fargo, North Dakota, to pay their final, tearful respects to Lafontaine-Greywind, who was remembered as kind and loving.
After the church service, a horse-drawn carriage carried the casket to the cemetery for a private burial. Ten horses followed behind in the somber procession, including one that didn’t have a rider, signifying Lafontaine-Greywind, who according to reports was a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe.
The service included Native American songs and tributes, according to local news station KFYR TV.
Mourners wore red shirts to honor Lafontaine-Greywind and other murdered and missing indigenous women, the outlet reports.
Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney said that the entire community “lost a daughter,” local news station KVRR reports.
‘She Loved Everyone’
Lafontaine-Greywind was eight months pregnant when she vanished on Saturday, Aug. 19 after walking upstairs to the apartment of neighbor Brooke Lynn Crews, 38, who had asked her to model a dress she claimed she was sewing and needed to pin, according to the Fargo Police.
She and Matheny, her boyfriend of 7 years, were expecting their first child together and were planning on moving into a new apartment in Fargo in September.
Her parents were thrilled that their eldest child was going to become a mother. “She loved everyone,” her mother, Norberta Lafontaine-Greywind told PEOPLE previously.
When Lafontaine-Greywind failed to return home after more than an hour that fateful Saturday, her worried parents called the police, who questioned Crews and searched her apartment, finding no sign of the mother-to-be.
Several days after Lafontaine-Greywind vanished, neighbors in the seven-unit apartment building where she lived with her parents and 16-year-old brother, told police they heard a baby crying, noting they were unaware that a baby lived in the building.
When authorities searched the neighbors’ apartment with a search warrant, they found Crews with a newborn, whom authorities strongly believe is Lafontaine-Greywind’s baby girl but are awaiting DNA confirmation to prove that.
On Aug. 24, Crews and her boyfriend, William Henry Hoehn, 32, who police say also lived in the apartment, were both arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and giving false information to police.
Both Crews and Hoehn remain in Cass County Jail where they are being held on a $2 million bond. They have not yet entered pleas to the charges against them.
Hoehn’s attorney, Steve Mottinger, had no comment. Crews’ attorney did not immediately return calls for comment.
The pair gave authorities information that led them to believe the baby belonged to Lafontaine-Greywind, but the pair would not reveal where her body had allegedly been taken, police said.
Nine days after Lafontaine-Greywind vanished, kayakers found her body in the nearby Red River, wrapped in plastic and duct tape.
Police have not released details about when or how LaFontaine-Greywind died or how the baby was allegedly taken from her.
The court has since sealed search warrant records to help maintain the suspect’s rights to a fair trial, local news station Valley News Live reported.
A preliminary autopsy report said the young mother-to-be was a victim of a homicide. The baby has been placed under the care of Cass County Social Services while authorities await DNA confirmation.
“Family was everything to Savanna,” the Boulger Funeral Home’s website says. “She helped raise her niece, Odessa, and nephew Shane Jr. Those kids were a huge part of her life and everything she did revolved around them. All of Savanna’s family and Ashton will miss her tremendously.”
A donation page has been set up for the newborn believed to be Lafontaine-Greywind’s daughter, Haisley Jo.
Source: People Crime 9.8.17 edition
The funeral is set for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, at First Assembly Church, 3401 25th St. S.
Thursday’s service will be open to the public, a representative from Boulger Funeral Home said. The maximum capacity of First Assembly Church is unknown, but it hosts an average of about 1,200 people for services each Sunday, according to the church’s website.
LaFontaine-Greywind, 22, was born in Belcourt, N.D. on Aug. 9, 1995, and grew up in Fargo, according to the funeral home’s website.Savanna, a member of the Spirit Lake tribe, was born in Belcourt, N.D. Her father is a Spirit Lake member, while her mother is a member of the Turtle Mountain tribe.
Her family moved to Fargo when she was young, but returned to the Spirit Lake Reservation, near Devils Lake, when she was 9 years old. She graduated from Warwick (ND) Public School on the reservation in 2013 and then attended Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, earning a certificate as a certified nursing assistant. She went to work at a senior citizens home there that was later purchased by Eventide.
She met her boyfriend in middle school in Devils Lake, and they have been together for seven years. Like her, he is a Spirit Lake member. He was living and working in Minneapolis when she became pregnant, and moved to Fargo in anticipation of their daughter's birth.
She earned a certified nursing assistant license in 2014 and started working at Eventide Nursing Home in Spirit Lake before transferring to Eventide in Fargo in January 2016.
She and her boyfriend Ashton, 21, began dating her freshman year of high school, and the two were looking forward to raising a family, the obituary said.
“Family was everything to Savanna,” the obituary said. “She loved horses, all animals, the residents that she helped, and all the children in her life. She helped raise her niece, Odessa, and nephew Shane Jr. Those kids were a huge part of her life and everything she did revolved around them. Savanna’s grandparents, Clarence Lafontaine and Edward Greywind were an important part of her life. All of Savanna’s family and Ashton will miss her tremendously.”
LaFontaine-Greywind went missing from her north Fargo apartment on Saturday, Aug. 19. At the time of her disappearance, she was eight months pregnant.
On Thursday, Aug. 24, police found a baby girl in an apartment above where LaFontaine-Greywind lived with her parents. The missing woman’s body was found in the Red River on Sunday, Aug. 27. In the wake of her death, memorial services were held in Fargo and other nearby cities.
Brooke Lynn Crews, 38, and William Henry Hoehn, 32, who lived in the apartment where the baby was found, were arrested, and both have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and giving false information to police.
Police have not released when or how LaFontaine-Greywind died. A preliminary autopsy report said she was a victim of a homicide. The baby found is believed to be hers, but the child was placed under the care of Cass County Social Services, while authorities await DNA confirmation.
According to her obituary, LaFontaine-Greywind is survived by her daughter, Haisley Jo; her parents, Norberta and Joe Greywind; her brothers Joe Greywind Jr. and Casey Greywind; her sister, Kayla Greywind; her grandparents Clarence and Edward; and niece and nephew, Odessa and Shane Jr.
Source: http://bismarcktribune.com
*******
FARGO -- Hundreds of people honored the life of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind at her funeral Thursday.
Savanna went missing on August 19th. Her body was found in the Red River over a week later.
The First Assembly Church in Fargo held a vigil Wednesday night and a funeral service for Savanna Thursday morning.
Around 200 people went to the service Thursday.
Media was not allowed in and WDAY respectfully stayed off church grounds.
Now, some people who attended said there were two Native American songs to honor Savanna's life.
The Pastor from First Assembly, Bob Ona, officiated the ceremony Thursday morning, while others from Spirit Lake Reservation spoke.
Mayor Tim Mahoney also offered some words at the service.
Later, only family was allowed to follow in the procession.
The horse drawn carriage transported her body to the cemetary.
One lone horse was not saddled, and without a rider.
According to Savanna's obituary, she loved her family first, but also loved all animals, especially horses.
Savanna is now laid to rest at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Fargo.
There were also 'spiritual items' on her casket. According to the family's beliefs, they will accompany Savanna on her journey from this life to eternal life.
WDAY also learned Haisley Jo, the baby believed to be Savanna's, went to both Wednesday night's vigil and the funeral services Thursday.
The child has been in the protection of Cass County Social Services after police found the baby with Brooke Crews in the upstairs apartment in the building where Savanna was last seen.
Crews and William Hoehn are facing charges in connection with Savanna's disappearance and death.
There's still no official word on DNA tests to confirm the baby is indeed Savanna's.
Social services would not comment on whether or not the baby has been permanently released back to the family, or if the child was temporarily released for Savanna's services.
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Savanna Lafontaine-Greywind, the 22-year-old expectant mother who was allegedly murdered in August, was laid to rest Thursday morning in an emotional service.
“It was a very beautiful service befitting of Savanna,” family spokeswoman Janel Herald tells PEOPLE.
Lafontaine-Greywind’s parents and her longtime boyfriend, Ashton Matheny, brought a newborn infant believed to be the baby that was ripped out of her womb, to the service. (Authorities are awaiting DNA testing to confirm that the baby, named Haisley Jo, is Lafontaine-Greywind’s.)
“It was wonderful that Haisley Jo was able to spend those moments along with her family, as well,” she says.
Nearly 1,000 mourners joined the slain woman’s family and friends at the First Assembly Church in Fargo, North Dakota, to pay their final, tearful respects to Lafontaine-Greywind, who was remembered as kind and loving.
After the church service, a horse-drawn carriage carried the casket to the cemetery for a private burial. Ten horses followed behind in the somber procession, including one that didn’t have a rider, signifying Lafontaine-Greywind, who according to reports was a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe.
The service included Native American songs and tributes, according to local news station KFYR TV.
Mourners wore red shirts to honor Lafontaine-Greywind and other murdered and missing indigenous women, the outlet reports.
Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney said that the entire community “lost a daughter,” local news station KVRR reports.
‘She Loved Everyone’
Lafontaine-Greywind was eight months pregnant when she vanished on Saturday, Aug. 19 after walking upstairs to the apartment of neighbor Brooke Lynn Crews, 38, who had asked her to model a dress she claimed she was sewing and needed to pin, according to the Fargo Police.
She and Matheny, her boyfriend of 7 years, were expecting their first child together and were planning on moving into a new apartment in Fargo in September.
Her parents were thrilled that their eldest child was going to become a mother. “She loved everyone,” her mother, Norberta Lafontaine-Greywind told PEOPLE previously.
When Lafontaine-Greywind failed to return home after more than an hour that fateful Saturday, her worried parents called the police, who questioned Crews and searched her apartment, finding no sign of the mother-to-be.
Several days after Lafontaine-Greywind vanished, neighbors in the seven-unit apartment building where she lived with her parents and 16-year-old brother, told police they heard a baby crying, noting they were unaware that a baby lived in the building.
When authorities searched the neighbors’ apartment with a search warrant, they found Crews with a newborn, whom authorities strongly believe is Lafontaine-Greywind’s baby girl but are awaiting DNA confirmation to prove that.
On Aug. 24, Crews and her boyfriend, William Henry Hoehn, 32, who police say also lived in the apartment, were both arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and giving false information to police.
Both Crews and Hoehn remain in Cass County Jail where they are being held on a $2 million bond. They have not yet entered pleas to the charges against them.
Hoehn’s attorney, Steve Mottinger, had no comment. Crews’ attorney did not immediately return calls for comment.
The pair gave authorities information that led them to believe the baby belonged to Lafontaine-Greywind, but the pair would not reveal where her body had allegedly been taken, police said.
Nine days after Lafontaine-Greywind vanished, kayakers found her body in the nearby Red River, wrapped in plastic and duct tape.
Police have not released details about when or how LaFontaine-Greywind died or how the baby was allegedly taken from her.
The court has since sealed search warrant records to help maintain the suspect’s rights to a fair trial, local news station Valley News Live reported.
A preliminary autopsy report said the young mother-to-be was a victim of a homicide. The baby has been placed under the care of Cass County Social Services while authorities await DNA confirmation.
“Family was everything to Savanna,” the Boulger Funeral Home’s website says. “She helped raise her niece, Odessa, and nephew Shane Jr. Those kids were a huge part of her life and everything she did revolved around them. All of Savanna’s family and Ashton will miss her tremendously.”
A donation page has been set up for the newborn believed to be Lafontaine-Greywind’s daughter, Haisley Jo.
Source: People Crime 9.8.17 edition
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