Father suspected for deaths of two children at Spirit Lake

Tuesday, May 24, 2011  

Federal and tribal authorities are investigating the deaths of two young children on the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation in North Dakota.

The children, ages 9 and 7, were found dead in their home on the reservation on Saturday. A relative told The Grand Forks Herald that the siblings were murdered and had been left inside for several days.

“People are just in shock right now,” the relative told the paper. “They can’t even understand how this happened. They are trying to process it, why someone in their right mind would do this to two little kids.”

A third child, age 4, was unharmed, the relative said. The children were discovered by their mother, who recently separated from the father, Travis DuBois.

DuBois has been arrested but U.S. Attorney Timothy Purdon would not comment on the investigation. DuBois is said to be a member or a descendant of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.

The mother, Mena Shaw, is a member of the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation.

Get the Story:
Feds investigate reported double deaths of children (The Grand Forks Herald 5/24)