There are no photos publicly available of Sharon Ann Gay.
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Sharon was 18 years old when a man named Ivan Thomas struck her with his vehicle in Kyle, South Dakota at 12:55am on October 8th, 1966. She had been lying in the road and it was unclear how she got there. Sharon and several friends attended a dance on October 7th and drove out to the Sundance grounds northeast of Pine Ridge, South Dakota. One of the passengers, James Hunter, testified that Sharon asked Charles Hamlin to take her outside of the car. Hamlin returned about 30 minutes later and reported that Sharon "ran off." The group got out of the vehicle and searched for Sharon but turned up no sign of her and decided to drop off another passenger at home, Frankie Gallego.
The men returned to the spot later to search further and allegedly found clothed and sitting on the side of the road. Hunter got out to speak to her but reportedly she could not communicate and was only able to mumble, possibly due to assault or intoxication. The 4th passenger, John Jay, allegedly exited the car and had sexual relations with Sharon, and the other men returned to town. An autopsy determined Sharon died not long after being struck by Ivan Thomas' vehicle and that she had been raped 2-3 hours prior to the incident. Her ultimate cause of death was determined to be a crushed chest.
At trial a witness named Vernie Bull Bear testified to seeing Sharon in the same area drunk and wearing only a sweatshirt. Charles Hamlin was acquitted of rape charges and no one has ever been named as a suspect or charge with her murder. May Sharon's memory be a blessing and may her family and community receive justice.
If you have any information regarding the murder of Sharon Gay, you are encouraged to contact the Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Tribal Information: Sharon is Oglala Sioux
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