Abbey Steele
State clears police and jail staff in young mother’s death, seeks info on meth dealer
Attorney General Marty Jackley wants the public’s help to find the source of the methamphetamine that may have killed Abbey Lynn Steele. The state Division of Criminal Investigation conducted an inquiry into Steele’s death at the request of the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, which runs the jail where Steele’s heart stopped on Nov. 16, and […]
Justice coalition aims to force change after death of Native American mother
A group of Native American activists and their supporters have refined their demands for Pennington County officials following the death of a young woman who’d been arrested in Rapid City, and they plan to meet weekly all winter long to push for their demands to be met. Tuesday will mark four weeks of group meetings, […]
‘Treated like a criminal’: Native woman’s death sparks questions
In May of 2021, Abbey Lynn Steele gave birth to her first child, a baby boy. A urine test showed methamphetamine in his system. Steele, who turned 19 that month, also tested positive for meth. The drug’s detection in the baby’s urine assured that Steele would not keep full custody under South Dakota law. Its […]
Advocates: South Dakota has ‘counterproductive’ approach to drug use by mothers
Abbey Steele found herself facing a felony drug ingestion charge in 2021, based on a urine test collected after she gave birth to her first child. Steele was among two dozen mothers whose maternity ward drug test sparked a call to the Rapid City Police Department in 2021. The RCPD has collected the metric since […]