Native American families, grappling with the loss of loved ones whose fates are shrouded in mystery, resurfaces with the case of Philbert Shorty. As reported by The Seattle Times, Shorty's abandoned vehicle was first stumbled upon back in the winter of 2021 near the Arizona-New Mexico state line. "We knew something happened from the get-go," Ben Shorty, the uncle of the missing man, disclosed in an interview with the publication. Without clues or leads, the family's persistent search proved fruitless for two years.

In the wake of Philbert Shorty's disappearance, his family embarked on an exhaustive quest for answers, canvassing the vast terrains of the Navajo Nation and making impassioned pleas on social media. Their efforts were thwarted, as reported by 12 News, they were unaware Shorty had been a victim of a violent killing over a week before they even reported him missing. 

Oldrock, 30, from Fargo, North Dakota, became entangled with the law following the gruesome killing and dismemberment of his own uncle. Oldrock admitted to authorities, following a threatening altercation with his uncle, that this violence was a repeat of a previous incident—the one that ended Philbert Shorty's life, according to details Oldrock provided to investigators.

As CBS News Minnesota reported, Oldrock revealed the tragic pattern, detailing how both Shorty's death and the later incident with his uncle followed heavy bouts of drinking and fighting at the family home near Navajo, New Mexico. Despite the eventual resolution of the case.