Key facts
- Name: Alejandro Pilar Vasquez (“Tank”)
- Born: May 6, 1991 (per FBI wanted poster)
- Age at disappearance: 24
- Last seen: October 29, 2015
- Location: American Horse Creek Road, near Kyle, South Dakota (Pine Ridge Indian Reservation)
- Height / build: 5’7″, 189 lbs, black hair, brown eyes; Native American male
- Status: Still missing — FBI presumed-death investigation under the Major Crimes Act
- Reward: Up to $25,000 (FBI)
- Investigating agency: FBI Minneapolis Field Office — 1-800-CALL-FBI; tips.fbi.gov
The road near Kyle
On October 29, 2015, Alejandro “Tank” Vasquez was last seen by family members on American Horse Creek Road near Kyle, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He was 24 years old.
He has not been seen or heard from since. Not in the nearly eleven years since. Not once.
That is the public shape of the case: a young Oglala Lakota man, last seen by the people who loved him on a reservation road, and then — nothing. No confirmed sightings, no recovered belongings described in public, no arrests. The FBI is investigating his disappearance as a presumed death under the federal jurisdiction granted by the Major Crimes Act, which gives the bureau authority over serious crimes on reservation land.
Who Tank was
Public records about Alejandro Vasquez’s life are sparse — a reality common to missing-persons cases from Indian Country, where national media attention is thin and families often carry the search largely alone. He was 24, from Kyle, known as “Tank” to family and friends. He would be 35 years old today.
His case sits inside a larger crisis the federal government has finally begun to name: the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous people. The FBI’s renewed push on his case is part of Operation Steadfast Promise and Operation Not Forgotten, a surge of federal resources into unresolved violent crime in Indian Country.
The investigation
For years, the case moved quietly. Then, on September 15, 2026 — nearly eleven years after Tank vanished — the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office issued a fresh public appeal, with a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person or persons responsible for his death.
“The FBI is dedicated to finding justice for all crime victims,” said Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. “Even the smallest fact could help bring answers to a grieving family. There is no better time than now to come forward with information that will answer the outstanding questions about Mr. Vasquez’s disappearance.”
The appeal was covered across South Dakota media — the Rapid City Post, regional outlets — a rare burst of attention for a case that spent a decade in the dark. The FBI is asking anyone with information about the circumstances of his disappearance or death to come forward.
Theories: what might have happened
The FBI’s classification — a presumed-death investigation seeking “the person(s) responsible” — is itself the strongest public signal about what investigators believe: that Tank was killed, and that someone knows how.
Homicide. The FBI is offering a reward for information leading to arrest and conviction, language it uses when it believes a crime was committed. What undercuts a resolution: no body, no named suspect, no public forensic detail — eleven years of silence from everyone who was on that road.
What the silence suggests. On a reservation road, in a close-knit community, disappearances are rarely true mysteries to everyone. Someone saw something on American Horse Creek Road on October 29, 2015. The FBI’s bet — eleven years later, with $25,000 attached — is that the silence can still be broken.
Have information?
Contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov. A reward of up to $25,000 is offered for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of those responsible. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- May 6, 1991 — Alejandro Pilar Vasquez is born.
- October 29, 2015 — Last seen by family on American Horse Creek Road near Kyle, SD, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Age 24.
- 2015–2026 — FBI investigates as a presumed death under the Major Crimes Act; case remains unsolved.
- September 15, 2026 — FBI Minneapolis issues a renewed public appeal with a $25,000 reward under Operations Steadfast Promise and Not Forgotten.
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Is Alejandro Vasquez still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, “Tank” Vasquez has been missing for nearly 11 years. The FBI’s investigation remains active.
Was Alejandro Vasquez ever found?
No. He has not been seen or heard from since October 29, 2015, and his remains have never been recovered. The FBI classifies the case as a presumed death.
What is the reward in the Vasquez case?
The FBI is offering up to $25,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person or persons responsible for his death.
Where was Alejandro Vasquez last seen?
On American Horse Creek Road near Kyle, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, by family members on October 29, 2015.
How old would Alejandro Vasquez be today?
He was 24 when he disappeared; he would be 35 in 2026.
How can I help?
Share this case file — attention is itself a resource in Indian Country cases. Anyone with information should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: FBI Minneapolis Field Office, “FBI Asks for Public Assistance in the 2015 Disappearance and Presumed Death of Kyle, South Dakota, Resident Alejandro Pilar Vasquez” (Sep 15, 2026) — 1-800-CALL-FBI; tips.fbi.gov.
- News: Rapid City Post, “FBI Offers Up to $25,000 Reward in 2015 Disappearance of Alejandro Pilar Vasquez” (Sep 2026).
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Verification corrections (October 2026):
– BEFORE: “Born: ~1991” → AFTER: “May 6, 1991 (per FBI wanted poster).”
– All other core facts — October 29, 2015 disappearance from American Horse Creek Road near Kyle on the Pine Ridge Reservation; age 24; $25,000 FBI reward; September 15, 2026 FBI Minneapolis appeal under Operation Steadfast Promise/Operation Not Forgotten with SAC Christopher D. Dotson — confirmed from the FBI’s press release.
– Slug and URL unchanged.
Last verified October 2026.