Rally held 3 weeks after deadly stabbing on Moapa River Indian Reservation

Three weeks after 20-year-old Victor Saganitso was stabbed to death at a gathering on the Moapa River Indian Reservation, his family says no arrests have been made. Saganitso went to his cousin's house on Oct. 17, and his sister, Roselynn Saganitso, later received a call that he had been stabbed in the chest. "It was just the most disturbing, terrifying call," she said.

The family held a rally Saturday in front of the FBI Las Vegas Field Office in the Historic Westside demanding answers. The FBI is investigating the case, but a spokesperson said she could not comment on ongoing investigations. Kiara Fields, the mother of Saganitso's 3-year-old daughter, said communication with authorities has been difficult. "It's extremely hard to talk with the Moapa Paiute Tribal Council. It's extremely hard to talk to the FBI. Nobody wants to give us answers," Fields said.

Fields said there may be witnesses who are not coming forward. "There were multiple videos, there are multiple witnesses, multiple people are putting these statements out there. Why is there not a person of interest or something?" she asked. Her daughter's third birthday was in September, and Saganitso was killed three weeks later.

The rally also highlighted violence against Native Americans and unsolved cases nationwide. Fawn Douglas, an advocate and Southern Paiute woman, said jurisdictional complexities hinder investigations. "Because of jurisdictions, there have been some issues with the FBI working with this agency or that agency. If one person leaves and they go into a different city or county, then there's a whole other law enforcement agency that has to deal. And so, because of this, crossing tribal lines has been a big problem, not just here, but everywhere," Douglas said.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, there are an estimated 4,200 unsolved cases of missing or murdered Indigenous persons nationwide. The FBI said in a statement that such investigations often remain unsolved due to a lack of investigative resources. "We are not going to stop until this is solved," Fields said. "Not only just because Victor was a huge piece of us, but being Indigenous was a huge piece of him, and all of their voices get silenced, and it's not fair."

Sources: 8 News Now