Update Friday, Dec. 16
An FBI spokeswoman said Friday that previous information provided by authorities describing the incident as a hit-and-run was incorrect.
The spokeswoman said the driver believed to have struck and killed Little Light remained at the scene and authorities are not looking for any suspects.
The driver's name was not released.
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UPDATE Thursday, Dec. 15
The FBI confirms to MTN that a multi-agency investigation is underway into the death of Elsie Little Light.
FBI Public Affairs Specialist Sandra Barker says a woman, identified by family members as Little Light, was walking along Interstate 90 when she was struck by a vehicle on Dec. 9. Barker says no arrests have been made at this time and the ongoing investigation is being conducted by The FBI, BIA, Big Horn County Sherriff's Office and Montana High Patrol.
Thursday afternoon a spokesperson for the BIA told MTN that the investigation is primarily in the jurisdiction of Montana Highway Patrol.
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First Report
A family is searching for answers in the death of Elsie Little Light, 39, who was killed by a vehicle on I-90 near Crow Agency last week.
As they look to law enforcement for help, family members say all they're hearing is radio silence.
“My frustration is that there is no report to say that Elsie has died, no report, no communication from law enforcement," Julia Kelly, Elsie's aunt, told MTN News Wednesday.
Kelly says early Friday morning, Little Light's family was notified by local law enforcement that she had been killed hours before on the side of I-90 in an apparent hit-and-run.
Kelly, whose sister is Elsie's mother, says they're not sure why Elsie was on the side of I-90, if or where she was walking, and other details the family is desperate to know.
“That’s all we know. No communication from law enforcement since Friday morning. This is Wednesday," Kelly said.
Kelly says Little Light was a mother and grandmother, and remembers her laughter, love and love of her family.
"She would say something just to make me laugh, she would do that with a lot of people. She was very outgoing," Kelly said.
While so much is known about Little Light's life, Kelly and her family know almost nothing about her death.
“My niece is not some damn deer on the side of the road. You cannot say that this did not happen.”
As the family looks for answers—MTN is too.
Montana Highway Patrol told MTN they're aware of the incident but was unable to send an incident report as of Wednesday evening.
On Wednesday evening, the FBI told MTN they are looking into the incident while the Big Horn County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Indian Affairs have not responded to requests for information.
