Beverly Ann Ozuna-Ulrich, 42 at the time, was last seen at her home in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, on the evening of October 17, 2003. According to her estranged husband, Steven Ulrich, he heard a vehicle drive up; Ozuna-Ulrich went outside, came back in briefly and told him she would return, then left again — reportedly in a vehicle described in one secondary account as silver, driven by an unidentified person. She was not seen or heard from again. Ozuna-Ulrich, a member of the Lakota tribe and the mother of eight children, had been separated from Ulrich for roughly twelve to eighteen months but remained on amicable terms, regularly visiting his home to cook, clean, and spend time with their children. Family members said she had a habit of taking unannounced trips but always stayed in contact; when ten days passed without word, her family reported her missing on October 27, 2003. She was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt and blue bell-bottom jeans. She is described as 5 feet to 5'1" tall, 120–130 pounds, with graying brown/black hair and brown eyes; she has a tattoo reading "Steven" on her upper arm, and her right eyebrow is pierced.
The case has been investigated by the Belle Fourche Police Department and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, with the Butte County Sheriff's Office also involved. Searches around Belle Fourche in the years following her disappearance found no evidence, and a 2008 tip led to a canine search of a 20-acre site on the edge of town that also produced no results. In November 2025, following renewed investigative work, Steven Lee Ulrich, Ozuna-Ulrich's estranged husband, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and, alternatively, second-degree murder in connection with her disappearance and presumed death. A second man, Max Richard Piekkola, was separately charged with aiding and abetting murder and accessory to a felony. On August 6, 2026, the Butte County State's Attorney's Office dismissed the charges against both men without prejudice, citing insufficient admissible evidence to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt; prosecutors stated the dismissal is not a determination of innocence and that charges could be refiled if new evidence emerges. Ozuna-Ulrich's remains have not been recovered, and the case remains open. Identifiers: NamUs MP4433; NCIC Case #M-073588261; Belle Fourche PD Case #484-03. Anyone with information is asked to contact the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation at 605-642-6390 or the Belle Fourche Police Department at 605-892-4354.
