Missing Since: 1998-05-29 Location: Farmington, New Mexico
Tewangoitewa was last seen driving away from Gator’s Bar & Grill in Farmington, New Mexico on May 29, 1998. He was employed as a bouncer at the establishment at the time, and had spent the evening there with his sister and some friends. When Tewangoitewa left the bar, he was driving his sister’s 1988 Pontiac Subaru station wagon while she rode with friends. She assumed he was following her back to the home they shared in Bloomfield, New Mexico, ten miles away, but he never arrived there. On June 18, three weeks after Tewangoitewa’s disappearance, the vehicle he was driving was found in a dry river wash in Choke Cherry Canyon, five miles northwest of Farmington. It had been badly burned and there was no sign of him at the scene. He has never been heard from again. Authorities believe Tewangoitewa was the victim of a homicide, but no arrests have been made in his case. The Subaru was junked at a salvage yard in 2000 without being processed for forensic evidence. He was a cosmetology student at the time of his disappearance. His disappearance remains unsolved. Investigating Agency Farmington Police Department 505-599-1010 San Juan County Sheriff’s Department 505-334-6108 Source Information Indian County Today The Gallup Independent Pernell Lloyd Tewangoitewa - Missing NamUs Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated August 29, 2021; clothing/jewelry description updated.