2 Lives Stolen, 2 Babies Taken: Savanna LaFontaine-GreyWind and Araceli Camacho-Gomez

This episode explores the heartbreaking cases of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind and Araceli Camacho-Gomez, both victims of fetal abduction. It delves into the tragic circumstances surrounding their disappearances, the impact on their families, and the broader issues of violence against Indigenous and immigrant women. The narrative highlights the urgent need for justice and systemic change to protect vulnerable women.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The bond between a mother and her unborn child is
sacred, but in the rare anddevastating cases of fetal
abduction, that bond isviolently torn apart.
Today we explore lives stolenin an instant and futures
tragically cut short.

(00:20):
This podcast explores truecrime cases and may include
descriptions of violence andother sensitive topics.
Listener discretion is advised.
I'm your host, nia, and in thisepisode we delve into the

(00:46):
heartbreaking cases of SavannahLaFontaine Greywind and Araceli
Camacho Gomez.
Both were victims of evil,unspeakable acts.
Their unborn children werecruelly taken from them.
Children were cruelly takenfrom them.

(01:09):
Join me as we uncover thedetails on Island Noir, beyond
the palm trees.
Born on August 9, 1995, inBelcourt, north Dakota, toberta
and Joe Gawain.
Savannah LaFontaine Gawain grewup in Fargo.
She was surrounded by the loveof her family.

(01:32):
They were a close-knit unit.
She was especially close to herniece and nephew, odessa and
Shane Jr, and she also helpedtake care of her grandparents,
who were a major part of herlife.
Proud of her heritage, she helddeep ties to both the Spirit
Lake and Turtle Mountain tribes.

(01:53):
Her Dakota name was whenThunder Finds Her, which
reflected her strong connectionto her Native American culture
and the undeniable strength ofher spirit.
Those who knew her bestdescribed her as selfless and
kind.
Savannah's passion for caringfor others led her to pursue a

(02:16):
career in elder care, earningher certified nursing assistant
certification in 2014.
She then began working in anursing home providing
compassionate care to theelderly.
But beyond her love for herfamily, savannah had a deep
connection to animals,especially horses.

(02:38):
Though she moved to Fargo in2016, the cultural roots she
held from Spirit Lake stayedwith her, always a part of who
she was.
Another central part ofSavannah's life was her
relationship with Ashton Matheny.
They first met in middle schoolin Devil's Lake, and what began

(03:01):
as a friendship quickly grewinto something more.
Ashton was always by Savannah'sside through high school and
even into adulthood, andespecially during her pregnancy.
For over seven years, theysupported each other through

(03:21):
every challenge.
Their love was defined by thequiet, steady kind of support
that, when Savannah becamepregnant, ashton moved back to
Fargo from Minneapolis to be byher side, preparing for the
birth of their daughter, haisleyJill.
They had everything planned, afuture filled with the

(03:45):
excitement of becomingfirst-time parents.
Unfortunately, just as theywere about to start this next
chapter together, their futurewas torn apart by an
unimaginable act of evil.
It was was August 19, 2017.

(04:08):
The day started like any otherday for Savannah Graywind.
She was eight months pregnantand at home in Fargo, surrounded
by the love and comfort of herfamily.
It should have been a peacefulday, one spent preparing for the
arrival of her daughter, but asthe afternoon wore on, a subtle

(04:31):
unease crept in.
Something just felt off.
A simple request from aneighbor, a favor that seemed so
ordinary, would soon lead to amoment that shattered everything
, changing the course ofeveryone's lives forever.
What happened that afternoonwould send shockwaves through

(05:05):
Savannah's family, leaving themgrasping for answers that seemed
just out of reach.
That afternoon, savannah, just22 years old and full of life,
was in her family's basementapartment.
It was supposed to be a quiet,uneventful day.
She had even ordered pizza forherself and her family's

(05:25):
basement apartment.
It was supposed to be a quiet,uneventful day.
She had even ordered pizza forherself and her family A small
treat for a lazy afternoon.
But things took a sudden turnwhen Savannah told her family
she was going upstairs to helpher neighbor.
It seemed like nothing out ofthe ordinary.
It was a simple favor forsomeone who lived just upstairs.

(05:50):
She promised to be back shortly.
No one gave it a second thought.
Hours passed and Savannah stillhadn't returned.
At first her family thoughtlittle of it.
Maybe the task had taken herlonger than expected.
But then, as time crept forward, their concern grew.

(06:13):
Her car sat untouched outsidethe engine, cold.
Inside.
Her personal belongingsremained exactly as she had left
them.
Inside her personal belongingsremained exactly as she had left
them.
For someone in her condition,eight months pregnant, this
behavior was completely out ofcharacter.

(06:33):
Savannah was known for beingresponsible and always in
communication with her family,so her sudden disappearance
sparked immediate concernamongst her family members.
Even her mother knew that.
The explanation felt wrong,like a puzzle piece that
wouldn't fit.
As the hour slipped away, feargripped the family tighter and

(06:59):
tighter.
They knew Savannah would neverjust disappear not with her baby
due in a matter of weeks.

(07:20):
In the days that followed, lawenforcement conducted multiple
searches of the building andsurrounding areas where Savannah
was last seen.
The searches were thorough, butthere was nothing.
No trace of Savannah, no clues,no evidence.

(07:44):
The community of Fargo was leftasking the same haunting
question how could a young woman, eight months pregnant, vanish
in broad daylight with noevidence to explain her
disappearance?
Can you begin to imagine thegrowing dread and panic her

(08:05):
family must have felt Because Idon't know.
But when someone you care aboutjust suddenly goes silent, your
mind starts to race and youstart to think about all the
worst possibilities and you'rejust praying that everything is

(08:26):
okay.
I can't begin to imagine whatthat must have felt for them.
As days stretched into nightswith no sign of Savannah, her
family's growing desperation waspalpable.
The search for her intensifiedas law enforcement combed
through the apartment buildingwhere she lived.

(08:46):
The police searched everycorner but found nothing.
No clues, no leads, just agrowing void where hope once was
.
With each passing day, thefamily clung to fading hope,
while anxiety gripped theirhearts.

(09:06):
The community of Fargo watchedhelplessly as the clock ticked
away and there was still no wordfrom Savannah.
Investigators retraced theirsteps.
They revisited witnesses andthey started picking apart every
detail.
Their attention soon turned toa neighbor who lived just

(09:30):
upstairs, a woman and herboyfriend, who had been among
the last to see Savannah.
Suspicion began to creep in,casting a shadow over the couple
that was impossible to ignore,casting a shadow over the couple
that was impossible to ignore.
Wouldn't you start to wonder ifthey were the last people to
see her?

(09:50):
What exactly were they hiding?
And why hadn't they spoken upbefore to law enforcement or to
the family when they werelooking for Savannah?
Because the deeper lawenforcement probed, the more
unsettling the couple's behaviorbecame.

(10:10):
Broke Cruz and William Honeinsisted they knew nothing, but
the police weren't convinced.
Something wasn't right.
And then a critical detail cameto light Rumors about a baby in
the couple's apartment.

(10:31):
This rumor shifted the entireinvestigation and the search for
Savannah entered a new,terrifying phase.
Police obtained another searchwarrant and returned to the

(10:55):
apartment that had, until now,seemed completely normal Just
another door in anotherapartment building.
But on August 24, 2017, whatthey found behind that door sent
shockwaves through everyofficer in that room, through
every officer in that room.
Inside the apartment, tucked inblankets, was a newborn baby

(11:20):
girl small, fragile andimpossibly innocent.
She was the child of Savannah,the child that she had carried
for eight long months.
Dna testing would later confirmwhat her family had dreaded and
hoped for all at once this wasHaisley Jo, savannah's daughter.

(11:46):
Relief washed over the community, but it was short-lived.
Savannah, the woman who hadbrought this new life into the
world, was still missing.
Just three days later, onAugust 27, the nightmare
deepened.
Kayakers on the Red Riverstumbled upon a heart-wrenching

(12:10):
sight.
Wrapped in plastic and ducttape, caught on a log in the
river's current, was Savannah'sbody, murdered in cold blood,
her life stolen in the mostbrutal way.

(12:31):
But the horror didn't stopthere.
But the horror didn't stopthere.
The truth of what happened toSavannah was far more chilling
than anyone could have everimagined.
For Savannah's family, thegrief was incomprehensible.

(12:52):
They had lost their daughter inthe most horrifying way For
Indigenous communities.
Savannah's story became morethan just a tragedy.
It reignited a fierce call forjustice, for the safety of
Native American women, who fartoo often remain unheard and

(13:13):
unseen.
Savannah's death broughtattention to a much larger issue
, a reality that Native Americanwomen have faced for
generations.
Her death was a devastatingtragedy, one that shattered her
family's world, but it alsobecame more just a loss.
She also served as a catalystfor change.

(13:48):
See, indigenous women experienceviolence and go missing at
rates far higher than any othergroup in the country.
Their stories, like Savannah's,often go untold, their
disappearance unnoticed by mediaor law enforcement.
We have to grasp the scale ofthis crisis.

(14:12):
We need to look at the numbers.
This crisis we need to look atthe numbers.
A 2016 study by the NationalInstitute of Justice revealed
that over four in five American,indian and Alaskan Native women
approximately 84.3% haveexperienced some form of

(14:33):
violence in their lifetime.
This translates to more than1.5 million 1.5 million
Indigenous women affected acrossthe US.
Additionally, according to theCenters for Disease Control and
Prevention's, non-hispanicAmerican, indian and Alaskan

(14:57):
Native women had the secondhighest rate of homicides in
2020.
Indigenous women are murderedat a rate more than 10 times the
national average, a statisticthat underscores the scale of
the violence they face.

(15:17):
But behind these numbers lies amovement the Missing and
Murdered Indigenous WomenMovement, or MMIW.
It's a cry for justice for allthe women like Savannah who had
been taken from their families,whose stories remain unresolved.
The red handprint often seenacross the mouths of Indigenous

(15:42):
women and men has become apowerful symbol of this fight.
It basically represents thesilenced voices of those who can
no longer speak for themselves.
In some indigenous cultures,red is believed to be the only
color that spirits can see.
Calling back the memory ofthese missing women, the

(16:07):
movement is a call not only toremember, but to also demand
action and justice for those whocan no longer speak for
themselves.
Brooke Cruz and William Honewere taken into custody on
August 24, 2017, after police,acting on rising suspicions,

(16:29):
secured a search warrant fortheir apartment.
Both were promptly arrested andcharged with conspiracy to
commit kidnapping.
The trial unveiled the fullextent of what unfolded In the

(16:50):
courtroom.
The prosecution laid bare thegrim details.
Lay bare the grim details.
On August 19, savannahLaFontaine, eight months
pregnant, was lured to BrookeCruz's apartment under the
pretense of helping with asewing project.
What followed was a descentinto violence.

(17:22):
Once inside, cruz accusedSavannah of mistreating cats a
trivial excuse that quicklyescalated into a violent
struggle.
Cruz shoved Savannah to thefloor her head, hitting the
ground hard, leaving herunconscious.
What happened next defiedcomprehension.
Using a utility knife, crewsperform crude cesarean section,

(17:43):
forcibly delivering Savannah'sbaby girl.
Savannah was still alive duringthe brutal procedure, regaining
consciousness briefly beforesuccumbing to the massive blood

(18:07):
loss.
She died from the lack ofmedical care, her life stolen in
a horrific act of evil.
Prosecutor TanyaJohnson-Martinez delivered an
emotional statement in the court, revealing the devastating
truth.
Savannah's daughter, haisley Jo, took her first breath at the

(18:30):
exact moment that Savannah tookher last.
Savannah's family, includingher boyfriend Ashton Matheny,
who had not previously known thefull extent of what happened,
sat in sorrow as they heardthese revelations during the
sentencing.
What made this case even moredisturbing was how Brooke Cruz

(18:52):
and William Hone managed toconceal Savannah's body.
During the early stages of theinvestigation, her lifeless body
had been hidden in ahollowed-out dresser, wrapped in
plastic and tape.
Despite multiple searches ofthe apartment, police overlooked

(19:13):
this gruesome hiding place.
Police overlooked this gruesomehiding place.
Meanwhile, cruz and Honecontinued their lives as if
nothing had happened.
They went out, brought babysupplies and lived with
Savannah's newborn, all whilehiding the unthinkable horror
that had taken place in theirhome.

(19:35):
In response to the prosecution,cruz's attorney, stephen
Modinger, emphasized her guiltyplea as a step toward
accountability.
He argued for a life sentencewith the probability of parole,
claiming it showed herwillingness to accept
responsibility.
Cruz expressed remorse in thecourtroom, offering an apology

(20:00):
to Savannah's family.
I really don't think that thatwould matter to them.
You took their child.
An apology is not going to doanything.
I just think that was justcruel to do to the family.
But she did admit that herwords could never heal the pain
that she caused, and that'scompletely true, and I'm glad

(20:23):
that the judge, despite herapology, sentenced Cruz to life
without parole for conspiracy tocommit murder, along with an
additional 20 years forconspiracy to commit kidnapping
and 163 days for providing falseinformation to law enforcement,
and the judge also cited theheinous nature of the crime.

(20:51):
Now, with Brooke Proulx'ssentence, one question lingered
what was William Hone's role inthis unspeakable crime, and how
would his trial reveal the truth?
Let's take a closer look at hisinvolvement and how the court
weighed the evidence against him.
During William Hone's trial, hevehemently denied having any

(21:16):
role in Savannah's murder.
Hone testified that when heentered the apartment and heard
a baby's cry, he believed atfirst that Brooke Cruz had given
birth.
But Cruz's testimony painted amuch darker picture.
She revealed that, while shehadn't shared her plan with Hone

(21:37):
, he was complicit helpingsecure Savannah's death by
tightening a rope around herneck.
Hone's defense centered aroundhis ignorance of Cruz's
intention.
His lawyer claimed Hone didn'tknow of Cruz's deadly plan and
only discovered the truthafterward.

(21:57):
Though he admitted to makingthe wrong decision by not
alerting the police, the defenseargued that Holm was not a
direct participant in Savannah'sdeath.
But the prosecution poked holesin Holm's story, highlighting
inconsistencies in hisstatements.
They argued that Holmes'actions after the crime helping

(22:22):
Cruz cover up the murder andlying to police were clear signs
of his involvement.
Though initially sentenced tolife in prison, holmes's fate
took a turn when the NorthDakota Supreme Court ruled that
his dangerous offender statuswas incorrect.
This decision led to aresentencing, reducing his

(22:47):
prison time to 20 years.
Much like Brooke, cruz Honeoffered an apology to Savannah's
family.
Cruz Hone offered an apology toSavannah's family.
The emotional scars left bythis case were too deep.
Many family members chose notto attend the resentencing,
unable to relive the trauma.

(23:13):
Though Savannah's death wasdevastating, it ignited a
powerful movement.
Her family, alongside advocatesfor Indigenous rights, pressed
lawmakers to take action,demanding justice and protection
for vulnerable women.
This tragedy could no longer beignored.
In the wake of Savannah's death, her family and advocates

(23:37):
worked tirelessly to bring aboutreal change.
In their effort, they led thepassage of Savannah's Act, which
is a critical piece oflegislation that improves how
law enforcement responds tocases involving missing and
murdered Indigenous women.
The legislation is designed toaddress the gaps in

(24:00):
communication, coordination andaccountability basically, how
the resources will be allocatedin order to find missing and
Indigenous women.
The Act mandates that federalagencies, including the
Department of Justice, establishstronger guidelines for law
enforcement.

(24:21):
The goal is clear, and theobjective of Savannah's act is
to provide swift and thoroughresponses to cases, ensuring
that no more families are leftwithout answers.
Savannah's act also addresseskey issues Underreporting.

(24:41):
The law requires agencies tokeep detailed records of crimes
involving Indigenous women,shining a light on the often
overlooked cases that haveplagued communities for too long
.
The law marks an important steptowards justice for Indigenous

(25:02):
communities, who have long faceddisproportionate levels of
violence.
Savannah's act is a directresult of the outcry following
her death calling for a systemthat better protects and
supports vulnerable women inthese communities.

(25:31):
As we come to a close of thispart of the story, we remember
the immense loss of SavannahLaFontaine Greywind.
We honor the strength andresilience her family has shown
as they continue to fight forjustice.
In the next part of thisepisode, we'll turn our

(25:52):
attention to another devastatingcase the story of Araceli
Camacho Gomez.
Her story, like Savannah's,underscores the urgent need for
justice and protection forvulnerable women.
Stay with us as we continue toseek justice for those whose

(26:13):
voices need to be heard.
Welcome back, noir seekers, andthank you for joining me for
part two of our exploration intothe stories of the cruel crime
fetal abduction.
In our last episode, wediscussed the heartbreaking case
of Savannah LaFontaine Graywin,a young indigenous woman whose

(26:35):
life was cut short in a brutalact.
Now we will dive into anothertragedy, one that shares eerie
similarities.
This podcast explores truecrime cases and may include

(27:01):
descriptions of violence andother sensitive topics.
Listener discretion is advised.
Araceli Camacho Gomez's life,much like Savannah's, was filled
with hope and love for herfamily, but it took a dark turn
that no one could haveanticipated.

(27:21):
In this episode, we'll uncoverthe details of Adesany's story
and explore the systemic issuesthat leave women like her
exposed to such violence.
Together, we'll examine howsocietal neglect, legal
loopholes and a lack of mediaattention make marginalized

(27:42):
women more vulnerable to thesetragedies.
Aresady Camacho Gomez was bornin 1980 in Mexico.
She came to the United Statesin search of a better life for
her family.
She was a devoted mother of two, and her dedication to her
children's future was at theheart of everything she did.

(28:05):
Described by her loved ones ashardworking and kind, she was
known for her warmth, compassionand strong sense of community.
Her religious faith was centralto her life.
She and her husband were activemembers of a Catholic religious
group, which provided them withspiritual support.

(28:28):
Of course, araceli's resilienceas an immigrant was admired by
many, as she worked tirelesslyto build a brighter future for
her family, despite all thechallenges she faced.
Araceli, a mother of two, eightmonths pregnant with her third

(28:50):
child, was approached by PienchaSezuvan Senovan, a woman she
had known for some time.
Senovan used this rapport toher advantage, convincing
Araceli to meet under thepretense of needing assistance.
Araceli, always willing to help, agreed to meet Tien-sha.

(29:23):
She had no way of knowing thatthis invitation would end in
betrayal and violence.
Sinavong, desperate, and withthe help of her partner, had
been plotting to take the mostprecious thing from Araceli her
unborn child.

(29:44):
Araceli's family quicklyrealized something was wrong
when she didn't return home.
She was known to be a reliableperson and she would never leave
her children or miss a check-inwith her family.
Hours turned into days and thesilence became deafening.
Her loved ones searchedfrantically, but their efforts

(30:17):
yielded nothing, with no sign ofAdeseli.
Her family's desperation grewUnbeknownst to everyone.
Adeseli had fallen victim tosomeone with a twisted dark mind
, but her family was relentless.
They pleaded with authorities,clinging to hope for any clues

(30:41):
as to where she might be.
What followed was aninvestigation that would cover
one of the most shocking crimestheir community had ever
witnessed, when initially beingtreated as a missing persons
case began to reveal far darkerundertones and law enforcement

(31:07):
realized they were facingsomething much more sinister.
New clues began to surface andwith them a disturbing truth was
slowly coming to light.
Law enforcement faced adifficult road as they
investigated Araceli CamachoGomez's disappearance.
Initially there were very fewleads.

(31:30):
Araceli had simply vanishedafter agreeing to meet with
someone she knew, pienchaSesuvon Senevon.
But as the investigationcontinued, the tide began to
turn.
Police noticed inconsistenciesin the stories given by Sinovang

(31:50):
and her partner.
Their accounts of the dayAraceli disappeared didn't quite
match up, sparking furthersuspicion.
But her behavior quickly becameerratic, particularly as rumors

(32:17):
began to spread about a missingbaby.
The investigation reached acritical turning point when law
enforcement received reportsthat Sinevong was trying to pass
off a newborn as her own child.
Investigators, knowing thatAdeseli was eight months
pregnant at the time of herdisappearance, began to connect

(32:39):
the dots.
This discovery shifted thefocus squarely onto Sinavong and
her partner.
The conflicting stories,coupled with Sinavong's
increasingly suspicious behavior, led law enforcement to secure
a search warrant and dig deeperinto the case.
The investigation escalatedrapidly when police discovered

(33:16):
blood and human tissue inSinevang's vehicle, cementing
what they initially suspected.
Shortly afterward, lawenforcement made a horrifying
discovery Araceli's bodyabandoned in Columbia Park, just
miles from where Sinovang hadbeen seen with the baby, just

(33:40):
miles from where Senevang hadbeen seen with the baby.
This tragic find confirmed whateveryone had feared Araceli had

(34:04):
been the handling of the case.
As with many cases involvingwomen like Araceli, the initial
response from law enforcementlacked urgency.
Immigrant and indigenous womenare often met with delayed
investigations, and Adeseli'scase followed a similar pattern.

(34:25):
Only after the criticalevidence emerged did the
investigation pick up speed,pointing to the need for more
proactive approaches in caseslike this.
For more proactive approachesin cases like this.

(34:45):
The discovery of Adeseli's bodyand the arrest of Sinevang and
her partner provided some formof closure for the family and
left a lot of questions.
Could Adeseli's life had beensaved if law enforcement had
acted more swiftly?
Had the investigation beentreated with the urgency it
deserved from the start?
Her family wonders if theoutcome would have been any

(35:08):
different.
With Piencha Sesuvon Senevon nowin custody, all eyes turn to
the courtroom where the trialwould reveal the calculated,
deliberate actions that led toAreceli's unfortunate death.
At the trial, the prosecutionlaid out the horrific details of

(35:30):
the crime, painting a pictureof a cold, calculated plan,
bianca Cecilvon Senevon, hadspecifically targeted Araceli
Camacho Gomez because of herstate as a pregnant woman.

(35:53):
Pretending to be pregnantherself, senevon lured Araceli
with the false pretense ofneeding help, all with the
intention of taking her baby.
This wasn't just an act ofimpulse.
The persecution stressed it wasa meticulously orchestrated
plan to steal Araceli's child.

(36:13):
The chilling detail of Sinevontrying to pass off the newborn
as her own just hours after theattack underscored the malice
behind her actions.
Sinevang's defense team,however, tried to shift the
narrative.
They focused on her mentalstate, arguing that her judgment

(36:36):
was impaired due to mentalhealth issues.
The defense requested a mentalhealth evaluation, hoping to
prove that her capacity wasdiminished and that she wasn't
fully responsible for heractions.
The court, however, rejectedthose claims, ruling that

(36:57):
Sinophon was fully aware of heractions.
Ruling that Sinophon was fullyaware of her actions, she was
convicted of aggravatedfirst-degree murder and
sentenced to life in prisonwithout the possibility of
parole.
This conviction brought justicefor Araceli's family.
It also brought to light thevulnerabilities faced by women.

(37:22):
Araceli Camacho Gomez's storyhighlights the significant
challenges immigrant women oftenface when seeking protection
and justice.
Like many, she lived withheightened vulnerability due to

(37:51):
her immigration status, makingher more susceptible to
exploitation.
Fear of deportation andmistrust of law enforcement
frequently prevent immigrantwomen from seeking help, while
systemic barriers like languageand lack of legal resources in
Adesely's case, these gapsallowed her disappearance to go

(38:14):
unnoticed for days, a commonissue when immigrant women are
overlooked.
This makes it easy for them tobe targets, as their cases often

(38:34):
receive less urgency fromauthorities.
Although Justice was eventuallyserved with the arrest and
trial of her killer, concernsabout the initial delays
reflected the challenges facedby marginalized women in
accessing timely help andprotection.
Adesanya's story is a reminderof the societal and legal

(38:58):
barriers that continue to leavewomen unprotected.
Before we go, I want to give youa sneak peek.
At our next episode, we'll beshifting focus to Argentina,

(39:18):
where we'll explore the case ofFernando Sosa.
This case brought racism andviolence in sports to the
forefront of nationaldiscussions, and we'll be diving
deep into what happened and thelasting impact of this tragedy.
Thank you for joining us onthis episode of Island Noir

(39:42):
Beyond the Palm Trees.
Be sure to stay with us as wecontinue to explore the stories.
Don't forget to subscribe onYouTube and follow us on
Instagram at island underscorenoir podcast for all the latest
updates.
Until next time, keep seekingthe truth beyond the shadows.