The Murder of Rosenda Strong

In 2018, Rosenda Sophia Strong was 31 years old and a mother of four, and a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Rosenda was known to be very outgoing and someone who loved to laugh and who people knew by her unique laugh.

Rosenda lived with her sister Cissy Reyes. On October 2, Cissy lent Rosenda some money and an acquaintance picked her up from their house. The two drove the short distance to Legends Casino in Toppenish, Washington in an older model Nissan. Rosenda was wearing blue jeans and her sister’s pink Nike sweater.

Rosenda was last seen that night in the casino by her aunt playing the slot machines. Rosenda hugged and greeted her aunt seemed bubbly overall. At around midnight, she was last seen leaving the casino with a man, seemingly voluntarily. Rosenda was not seen or heard from again.

UPDATE – July 12, 2019

Almost 9 months after her disappearance, on July 4, 2019, two homeless men found human remains in an unplugged freezer. The freezer was located in the 64000 block of U.S. Highway 97 on the Yakama Reservation and dental records confirmed that the remains were those of Rosenda Strong.

The police are now actively investigating Rosenda’s disappearance as a homicide.