Family, AG’s office spread awareness for missing Puyallup Tribal member last seen in 2021
1024__fitted.jpeg "The family of Besse Anne Freedom Handy is still searching for the missing Puyallup Tribal member last seen in February 2021 at the Sunshine Motel in Fife, Wash. She is 5 feet 2 inches tall and 105 pounds with brown, now possibly blonde and short, hair.")
The Attorney General’s office posted a flyer last week, reigniting awareness for the case of missing Puyallup Tribal member Besse Anne Freedom Handy a year after her disappearance.
“Thank you Washington State Attorney General for helping us get Besse’s information to the public. She is loved and missed. She matters,” her loved ones wrote on a Facebook page dedicated to finding her.
Handy was last seen in February 2021 at the Sunshine Motel in Fife, Wash., though the exact date is unknown. She is 5 feet 2 inches tall and 105 pounds with brown hair. She has a yin and yang tattoo on her left arm, “Native” tattooed on her left shoulder, a heart tattoo on her right arm and a small heart tattoo on her wrist.
It is possible her hair is now blonde and shaved or cut very short. She has connections around Pierce County in Spanaway, Bonney Lake, Tacoma, Sumner and the city of Puyallup.
Handy has been known to go off the grid for extended periods of time, but never for this long. Her family fears that she may be unsheltered or experiencing a mental health crisis and are extremely concerned for her well-being, according to the flyer and the Facebook page.
“We all love her and want her to come back. It’s OK to call for help,” Handy’s mother said in a statement to McClatchy.
Her loved ones are working to find her safely. They are asking for the public’s help in distributing flyers on social media and in certain areas or businesses like motels, gas stations, convenience stores, transit centers and shelters. Flyers have been shared and posted by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians as well. They are also asking for donations of clothes, blankets, tarps and other items to give to those in need while they canvas encampments.
“She’s not in trouble. We just want to hear her voice, see if she is OK and let her know her family loves and misses her,” the flyer reads.
Their efforts have raised a $2,000 reward for the first person to provide law enforcement information leading to her whereabouts.
If you have any information, you can contact Puyallup Tribal Police at 253-680-5656 or email LEDETECTIVEDIVISION@puyalluptribe-nsn.gov and reference case No. 21-02028.
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Natasha Brennan covers Washington state tribes’ impact on our local communities, environment and politics, as well as traditions, culture and equity issues, for McClatchy media companies in Bellingham, Olympia, Tacoma and Tri-Cities.
She joins us in partnership with Report for America, which pays a portion of reporters’ salaries. You can help support this reporting at bellinghamherald.com/donate. Donations are tax-deductible through Journalism Funding Partners.
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This story was originally published February 17, 2022 at 11:42 AM.
