Womb Raider: The Murder of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind

Posted by Trin | Case Files | Kidnapping & Fetal Abduction | North Dakota | August 2017

Introduction

Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind was eight months pregnant, planning for motherhood, and living with her family in Fargo, North Dakota. She was Indigenous, 22 years old, and deeply loved.

On August 19, 2017, she went upstairs to help a neighbor with a sewing project. She never came back.

Her body was found days later in a river. Her newborn daughter—cut from her womb—was found alive in the home of the very neighbors who claimed to need her help.

And just like that, a life full of love, promise, and motherhood was stolen.

Case Background

Savanna belonged to the Spirit Lake Nation and was known for her kindness and steady strength. She was a certified nursing assistant, a daughter, and a soon-to-be first-time mom. Her pregnancy had been one of hope and excitement for her whole family.

Her neighbor, Brooke Crews, had been pretending to be pregnant to manipulate her boyfriend, William Hoehn. But when the lie couldn’t be sustained, Brooke plotted to steal a baby. And not just any baby—Savanna’s baby. Brooke lured Savanna upstairs under the guise of needing help with sewing. Instead, she killed her, performed an at-home cesarean, and kept the newborn hidden.

Timeline of Key Events

  • August 19, 2017: Savanna leaves her apartment to help a neighbor and never returns. Her family reports her missing later that day. Police search but find nothing initially.
  • August 20–23: Residents in the building report hearing a baby crying upstairs, but Brooke and William deny having a child. Police visit the unit, but the baby remains hidden.
  • August 24: Police return and discover a newborn girl inside the apartment. DNA confirms it is Savanna’s baby. Brooke and William are arrested.
  • August 27: Savanna’s body is found wrapped in plastic and dumped in the Red River.
  • 2018–2019: Brooke pleads guilty and is sentenced to life in prison without parole. William Hoehn receives 20 years for conspiracy and child neglect.

Red Flags & Motive

  • Brooke had faked a pregnancy for months and created an elaborate story to convince William to stay with her.
  • She lured Savanna upstairs under false pretenses—and no one suspected what she was capable of.
  • Neighbors noticed strange behavior, including a baby being heard when no one was known to be pregnant in that apartment, but authorities didn’t act swiftly.
  • Savanna’s status as an Indigenous woman likely influenced the delayed urgency and media attention her case initially received.

Media & Documentary Coverage

  • Dateline NBC – Covered Savanna’s case in their “Missing in America” series, emphasizing the systemic neglect toward missing Indigenous women.
  • Still Missing Morgan Podcast (2023) – Features a dedicated episode on Savanna’s story and the broader issue of fetal abduction and Indigenous injustice.
  • Vanished: The Savanna Greywind Case (YouTube Docuseries) – A community-created series that chronicles the timeline and calls out institutional failure and inequality in victim response.

A Mom’s Reflection

This case shatters something inside me. Because Savanna wasn’t just expecting—she was preparing. Her apartment had baby clothes. Her family had baby names picked out. She was nesting. Dreaming. Loving.

And she was taken. By someone who saw her not as a mother, a woman, or a human being—but as a means to an end.

This crime is so twisted it almost defies comprehension. But we can’t look away. We owe it to Savanna and every Native woman whose story has been ignored or softened to speak the truth—loudly and clearly.

We must protect our sisters, our daughters, and our neighbors. And we must especially protect our Native women—whose stories are too often overlooked, underreported, and under-investigated.

Lessons We Can’t Ignore

  • Fetal abduction is rare—but it happens. And it’s often premeditated.
  • When someone disappears—especially an Indigenous woman—we must act immediately.
  • Community vigilance matters. If you hear something off, report it. Loudly.
  • We can’t claim to care about mothers and babies if we only protect some of them.

Final Words

Savanna’s daughter survived—but will never know her mother firsthand. That is a wound generations will carry.

We honor Savanna by saying her name, remembering her story, and demanding better for Indigenous women everywhere.

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