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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/AlfredTheJones on 2024-01-02 19:21:10+00:00.
Original Title: Pregnant woman leaves her home to embark on a hike in snow with her dog to a cabin that no longer exists; Her remains are found nearby after a few months- What happened to Nefataree "Neffy" Bartell and her child? (2023)
Hello everyone! As always, thank you for your comments and upvotes on my previous post about Monique Boamah. I hope that her case will be solved soon and that her family and friends will get some answers.
Today's case is a bit different than the ones I usually cover, because the body of the victim has been found, however we don't know how exactly did she die.
BACKGROUND
Nefataree "Neffy", "Nef" Bartell was 26 when she went missing in Missoula, Montana, USA. She graduated from Big Sky High School and described herself as an "Adult Entrepreneur".
She was younger of two siblings. Charlene Bartell, Neffy's mother, said that her daughter spend a lot of time growing up "(...) river rafting, hiking in the mountains, fishing (...) I would teach her how to drive in the mountains when she was younger" and that Neffy always enjoyed everything Missoula had to offer.
Neffy was a mother of two sons (3 and 8 years old) and was pregnant (7th month) when she went missing. Neffy liked to meet up with her friends, but her priorities have changed once she became a mother. According to Charlene, "Neffy loved taking care of her kids"; She was excited about having her new baby, and motherhood was important to her. Neffy didn't know her baby's gender and didn't have a name picked out, but she felt that it's going to be a girl.
In February, Neffy lived in an apartment she was renting with her younger son. The older one lived with his father full-time.
Neffy's mother described her daughter as "(...) very smart, very intelligent, very loving and caring". Her friend, Melissa Drake, described her as "(...) always smiling, always so upbeat; She always had a smile on her face".
DISAPPEARANCE
The last time Charlene spoke to Neffy was on the 15th of February. They were discussing Neffy's move to Condon, Montana, about an hour away from Missoula, so that the two (and Neffy's youngest son too I presume) would live together. She was allegedly excited for the move. They weren't in contact for a few weeks after that, which didn't concern Charlene, since her daughter was an adult and she didn't have to contact her if she didn't want to. Then, on the 9th of March, Charlene recieved a call from Detective Jeff Lloyd of the Missoula Police Department, that Neffy's friend contected them about not seeing her for a month. Neffy's youngest son has been staying with his paternal grandparents since the 20th of February- they haven't heard from Neffy either. That was the longest she ever went without contacting her son.
Neffy was reported missing on the 8th of March, but she was allegedly last seen on the 6th, in the afternoon- that sighting, however, was proven to be unsubstantiated, and she was actually last seen in person on the 21st of February in the early afternoon, near Gold Creek and Highway 200, about 17 miles (27 km) away from Missoula. Neffy's mother said that her daughter "Never goes there". She also said that she would never abandon her two sons.
Neffy was last seen there with her dog, Nova, walking eastbound on MT Hwy 200 E in East Missoula. It was snowing quite heavily, and a woman offered Neffy and Nova a ride. Neffy requested a ride to a cabin she located on an online map in the area of Primrose Meadows up Gold Creek Rd to meet with her boyfriend- this cabin no longer exists; In fact, it was demolished some time before Neffy's disappearance. The woman dropped Neffy and Nova off at a mile marker off Gold Creek Road around 3 p.m, but she said in an interview that she "had a bad feeling" about Neffy's hike. She immediately called the sherrif's office to request a wellness check. It wasn't carried out.
Charlene searched Neffy's apartment and found her keys, wallet, phone and apple watch. There ws also a pizza on the counter with one slice missing. The doors to the apartment weren't locked, which concerned Charlene even more, since Neffy was "paranoid" about keeping them closed.
Nova was found in the mountains on Gold Creek Road on March 1. She was well-nourished and didn't have any frostbite- Charlene suspects that Nova might've been housed by somebody who looked after her for eight days before she was found. Neffy wasn't located.
An aerial search and rescue effort was launched near the Gold Creek area. The person who spoke to Neffy on the 21st of February was interviewed by police, as was Neffy's inner circle. The proper search, however, could've only been carried at the end of April- the snow that has been making the search effort nearly impossible has melted and the on-foot searches could be carried out. In the meantime, all the leads have run dry.
On the afternoon of the 4th of May, Montana FWP personnel that was carrying out a search at Gold Creek found a few scraps of clothing. After calling 911, the search and rescue managed to locate human remains found off Gold Creek Rd. in Missoula. The clothing and remains have been transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Missoula for identification and finding the cause of death. It was confirmed that they belonged to Neffy.
CONCLUSION
If the cause of death has been established, it wasn't released. It's unclear if Neffy's baby was found with her but I'd assume so; I feel like if it wasn't there, this information would be given out to the public. Neffy was in the seventh month, and a seven months old fetus could survive outside of the womb, but it would require some very specific care in a hospital. So if Neffy was murdered for her baby police would want to locate the child.
We don't know if Neffy was murdered or perhaps perished due to harsh weather. Most people would have issues with a hike in deep snow, even without the pregnancy; It's possible that she got hypothermia and died due to that. The scraps of clothing can potentially be a sign of paradoxical undressing, a phenomenon where people in advanced state of hypothermia start to undress due to feeling hot despite freezing. Of course there's also a chance that wild animals ripped up her clothes to feed on her remains (sorry to be so graphic).
I couldn't find any info on Neffy's boyfriend or the father of her third child- was it even the same person? He's not mentioned in any articles by name. If he is real and wanted to meet up with Neffy at the destroyed cabin, why would he do that? We don't know if the cabin had any meaning for Neffy or him; That's certainly an odd place to meet up with your heavily pregnant girlfriend. The main reason for death of pregnant people is domestic violence, usually from the hands of the partner- there's a pretty significant possibility that Neffy was killed by her boyfriend, again, if he's real.
Also, is it just me, or did Neffy seem... Not in the right frame of mind? She left all of her belongings like purse or phone at home, didn't lock her doors despite usually being very mindful of that, and wanted to hike down a road in heavy snow to a cabin that doesn't exist? I don't know, something about it feels like she might've had an undiagnosed mental illness. Maybe her pregnancy influenced her brain chemistry? I don't know enough to suggest a specific diagnosis, but I know that pregnancy can sometimes influence mental health. Of course, she might've had a mental illness unrelated to pregnancy.
If you have any info on the circumstances regarding the death of Nefataree "Neffy" Vakneekwa Bartell, call the Missoula County Sheriffs Office at (406) 258-4810 (case number2023-3656) or the Missoula Police Department at (406) 552-6303 (case number 2023-9106).
SOURCES
Neffy's websleuths.com thread