The Search and the Silence | Besalynn James, Lummi Nation / Bellingham, WA

Besalynn Mary James was 62 years old when she disappeared from her home on the Lummi Nation reservation in January 2025. Her boyfriend told police she left at 2 AM to go for a walk in freezing temperatures. After she didn’t return, it took four days for him to report her missing.

What her sister found when she went to check on Besalynn's dogs didn't match his story. The clothes he said Besalynn was wearing were still inside the trailer.

In this episode, we walk through the timeline of Besalynn's disappearance, the contradictions in her boyfriend's account, the complicated jurisdictional reality of investigating a major crime on tribal land, and the systemic crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. We also look at what Washington State has built in response to that crisis, and what it still hasn't been able to deliver to Besalynn's family: answers.

As of the time of this recording, Terry Bowman remains an uncharged person of interest. The FBI's Seattle Field Office continues to actively investigate. If you have information about Besalynn's disappearance, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov, or call the Lummi Nation Police Department at 360-312-2274.

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