Appearing in District Court on December 19, 2023 Roseen Lincoln, one of two woman charged in the death of Mildred ( Millie) Old Crow entered into a plea agreement.
Roseen Lincoln pleaded no contest to felony negligent homicide and felony tampering with evidence in a plea agreement that amended the initial felony deliberate homicide count to negligent homicide. Lincoln was a curt appointed guardian of Old Crow.
According to Court documents it was alleged that Lincoln and Veronica Tierza Dust were responsible for the death of Mildred Old Crow sometime in April 2019 around the time of Lincoln’s brother's death in a one-car accident on April 15, 2019.
The affidavit of probable cause stated the couple drank heavily for multiple days after the death of Lincoln’s brother and through several interviews’ investigators found Mildred Old Crow died sometime during that period.
Court documents show that family members filed a formal petition with the Crow Tribal Court in which they alleged they had not seen the child since March 2019 and Dust and Lincoln had “breached their fiduciary duty to the child.”
Dust and Lincoln failed to attend the first hearing in tribal court, produce the child, or provide any proof of life and the tribal prosecutor charged the couple with child endangerment and the court issued warrants for their arrest.
Both Lincoln and Dust were found guilty in Crow Tribal Court on April 13, 2021 of child endangerment and custodial interference and sentenced to 18 months in the Bureau of Indian Affairs Rocky Mountain Detention Center in Hardin and one year on probation upon their release. They were each given a $2,000 fine.
Big Horn County arrest warrants were issued for both and they were booked into the Big Horn County jail upon their release from Rocky Mountain.
County Attorney Jeanne Torske said in court Tuesday, the couple was awarded custody of Mildred Old Crow in March 2017 by the Crow Social Services Department after she was removed from her biological mother’s home.
According to court documents, in June 2020 a call was made to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Centralized Intake line reporting the child hadn’t been seen since July 2018 and another call was made to Bureau of Indian Affairs police in November 2020 reporting the child hadn’t been seen since April 2019. After the second call a missing person investigation was initiated.
According to testimony during their April 2021 child endangerment and custodial interference trial in tribal court, Dust told Crow Tribal Court Judge Julie Yarlott that Mildred Old Crow died in the bathtub.
In court Tuesday County Attorney Jeanne Torske said, the couple left the body of Mildred Old Crow in the bathroom for three days. The couple then dressed the remains, wrapped them in a plastic bag, and placed them in a plastic tote, which was taped shut and stored from April 2019 to February 2021 in a travel trailer owned by Dust at Garryowen.
The travel trailer was impounded on February 17, 2021 by the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office and the remains of the child were sent to the Montana State Crime Lab in Billings.
According to the affidavit an autopsy was conducted on February 18, 2021 by the state crime lab found a head laceration and a right tibia fracture, which indicated an assault. The autopsy also found evidence of “habitual abuse” and malnutrition.
Lincoln stated in the affidavit that she was too afraid of Dust to report previous instances of violence against Mildred Old Crow. The affidavit stated the abuse took place primarily when the couple had been drinking.
If convicted the Lincoln faces up to 20 years for felony negligent homicide and a $50,000 fine and up to 10 years and a $50,000 fine on the felony tampering with evidence charge.
Sentencing has been scheduled for March 12.