Crow Agency, Montana – The FBI returned the marker of an unknown U.S. Army 7th Cavalry soldier to the National Park Service during a ceremony on September 29. The marker, believed to have been stolen from the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument more than 40 years ago, was formally returned to the battlefield during a ceremony featuring military honors from the U.S. Army. Planning for the event called for close collaboration among the FBI, the Park Service, the Army, and community partners.
Leaders and an honor guard from the 1st Cavalry Division, National Park Service Superintendent James Novitsky, Supervisory Special Agent Jake Archer of the FBI’s Art Crime Program and Special Agent in Charge Justin Gerken of the FBI Billings Field Office, were all in attendance.
“Recovering this marker is about much more than closing the chapter in a decades-old theft,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin Gerken of the FBI Billings Field Office. “This battlefield is hallowed ground for all who fought here and returning this stone restores a tangible piece of our nation’s shared history and honors the dignity of the unknown soldier it represents. The FBI is proud to work alongside our partners to recover and return items of cultural and historical
significance to their rightful place.”
“This is a meaningful moment for Little Bighorn Battlefield,” said NPS Superintendent James Novitsky. “After more than 40 years, this marker has returned to the place where it belongs. We are grateful to the investigators, partners and members of the community whose efforts made that possible, and we are honored to once again care for this piece of the battlefield’s history.”
“For 40 years, this marker was separated from the hallowed ground and trooper it was meant to honor,” said Command Sgt. Maj. of 1st Squadron Justin Mansfield, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. “Today, the 7th Cavalry is proud to help bring it home and restore it to its rightful place among his brethren. This ceremony reflects the Army’s enduring promise to never leave a fallen comrade. Time may pass, but a soldier’s sacrifice—and our obligation to honor it—is never forgotten.”
In July 2025, an FBI Art Crime Team member assigned to the Billings Field Office received information from the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch regarding the possible discovery of a stolen marker. The subsequent investigation revealed the grave marker had been hidden inside a wall during the renovation of an old home. The former homeowner had long since passed away, and the person who received the stone to arrange for its return died before they could do so. In December 2025, with the assistance of the American Legion, Austin Reedy Post 97 in Libby, Montana, the FBI received custody of the grave marker for the purpose of returning it to the Little Big Horn Battlefield Monument.
While this return marks a significant recovery, the FBI is still looking for another stolen marker from this site. Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch (ISB) tip line at 888-653-0009.
The FBI and the United States rely on the public to be vigilant as it relates to artifacts and antiquities trafficked to the United States. Oftentimes, these items are not discovered to have been looted until many years or decades after they are removed from their country of origin. Furthermore, the person or entity currently in possession of the items may have had no direct contact with the trafficker; the items may have been inherited or may have exchanged hands multiple times before being identified as illegal in our country. The FBI, through its field offices, law enforcement attachés, and its Art Crime Team work together to recover and repatriate cultural property to the countries of origin. In some cases, a prosecution results; in others, the statute of limitations has elapsed. In both cases, the recovered objects are returned to the citizens of the respective country. The FBI’s Art Crime Team was created in 2004 in response to an increase in cultural property crimes worldwide and it is comprised of a national team of agents based in major cities who specialize in art crime investigations and in returning art and cultural property to its rightful owner. Art Crime Team members are stationed throughout the United States.
