For more than 40 years, family members of Terri McCauley wished and pushed for justice in the death of the 18-year-old member of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska.
“She could have been a successful person, a Native female, who could have made a big difference in this community. And unfortunately, that was taken from her,” said Joshua Taylor, nephew and family spokesperson.
McCauley disappeared after a night with friends in the fall of 1983. She was last seen getting into a vehicle outside a bar on West 7th St. in Sioux City. Days later, her body was found in a wooded area miles away. Someone shot her to death.
“From the stories I have been told, she was very outgoing and she loved her two kids," Taylor said. "It’s heartbreaking to put together words how the whole family is feeling."
Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis announced Monday an arrest was made in the case after a grand jury in Woodbury County District Court indicted Thomas Duane Popp for first-degree murder on Friday.
Police in Washington state took Popp into custody the next day. He remained at the Cowlitz County jail on a cash-only bond of $3,000,000 as of Monday morning.
“We’re extremely thankful and grateful for the continued efforts by the Sioux City Police Department and the Woodbury County Attorney's Office,” Taylor said. "After 40 years, you can unfortunately lose hope and focus.”
Former Sioux City Police Detective Tony Sunclades testified before the grand jury. Months after McCauley’s killing, he recommended Popp face charges, but at the time ,the county attorney didn’t think there was enough evidence for a conviction.
“I’m ecstatic. I'm just so happy for the family. They've been suffering, and they still have a tremendous loss, but at least there's closure now,” Sunclades said. “We'll have to see what happens in court. I'm confident that our current county attorney's office is going to be able to convince a jury that — yes, he did this — and there is no reasonable doubt.”
The push for justice
Advocacy groups also pushed for attention to McCauley's death, even decades later. Some started a Facebook Page to bring awareness to her life and death.
Taylor credits growing publicity around the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR) movement for keeping the case alive.
“There was a lot of advocacy by many, many, many groups that continue to bring Terri's story to the forefront. And I think that that in itself was vital and important,” he said.
The family participated in MMIW awareness marches and an annual Pow Wow organized by the Great Plains Action Society, which says that 4 out of 5 Native women will face violence during their lifetime.
“We will continue to support the McCauley family as they begin this legal process for justice,” said Trisha Rivers, Siouxland Project Director for the Great Plains Action Society. “Terri’s case is just one of the thousands reported MMIR [Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives] cases — we hope that this gives hope to other MMIR families who are still fighting for justice for their loved ones.”
