Delema Lou Sits Poor

Delema, circa 1974

  • Missing Since 02/20/1974
  • Missing From Pine Ridge, South Dakota
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race Native American
  • Date of Birth 11/21/1961 (62)
  • Age 12 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'5, 135 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A white down-filled jacket with two brown stripes on each sleeve, brown bell-bottom pants and sneakers.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Native American female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Delema is of Oglala Sioux descent. Her nickname is Babe.

Details of Disappearance

Delema disappeared from Pine Ridge, South Dakota on February 20, 1974. She and another twelve-year-old girl left Delema's home near Ogallala and were walking a back road from Oglala to Manderson, near the Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Temperatures were below zero at the time.

Delema's friend turned back after her hands and feet got frostbitten, but Delema continued towards Manderson. She never arrived at her destination and has never been heard from again. She was a student at the Seventh Day Adventist School between Ogalala and Pine Ridge at the time of her disappearance.

Authorities believe Delema is deceased, but her body has never been found and the circumstances of her disappearance are unclear.

Investigating Agency

  • Pine Ridge Police Department 605-867-8127

Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated May 28, 2020; date of disappearance corrected, clothing/jewelry description added, details of disappearance updated.