White Swan Woman Sentenced to Twenty-Five Years in Prison for Murder on the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation

Yakima, Washington -United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Tahsheena Stacie Sam, 33, to 300 months in prison for Second Degree Murder in Indian Country. Judge Dimke also imposed 5 years of supervised release.

According to documents and evidence presented at sentencing, on Christmas Day 2017, Destiny Lloyd, an enrolled member of Yakama Nation, went missing after being seen in a vehicle that night with friends. Four days later, Ms. Lloyd's body was discovered face-down in a snowy canal ditch located within the boundaries of the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation. Ms. Lloyd was 23 years old.

The Yakama Nation Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation began a thorough and lengthy investigation into Ms. Lloyd's death. After extensive efforts that included collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses, law enforcement eventually discovered that Ms. Lloyd had been killed by Tahsheena Sam on the evening of December 25, 2017. That night, Ms. Lloyd, Sam and a group of several others were driving around the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation and consuming alcohol. At some point, the group learned that Ms. Lloyd had money on her - believed to be less than one-hundred dollars. A short time later, Sam assaulted Ms. Lloyd outside of the vehicle next to a snowy canal ditch and stole the money. Sam departed the vehicle with the others after the assault, leaving Ms. Lloyd behind. Sam then became concerned that Ms. Lloyd would report the assault, so she returned to the canal ditch armed with a wrench. Sam used a flashlight to follow Ms. Lloyd's tracks in the snow. Upon locating Ms. Lloyd, Sam struck Ms. Lloyd in the head with the wrench and left her in the ditch to die.

Initial findings on autopsy revealed that Ms. Lloyd's cause of death was cerebral trauma due to a skull fracture. At the time, it was unknown if the skull fracture had been caused by Ms. Lloyd falling down an embankment and striking her head, or whether Ms. Lloyd's skull fracture and subsequent death were caused by being struck with an object. Law enforcement thoroughly processed the crime scene at the canal following the discovery of Ms. Lloyd's body, although they found very little forensic evidence there.

Law enforcement also questioned potential witnesses throughout the investigation, learning that the individuals Ms. Lloyd was last seen with included Tasheena Sam, Waylon Jake Napyer, Shelaine Slakish, as well as another male, all enrolled members of the Yakama Nation. Several people believed to have information on what transpired, initially refused to cooperate with law enforcement. In February 2018, a witness provided text messages to law enforcement which led police to believe that Ms. Lloyd had been murdered. The FBI obtained search warrants for multiple digital devices and/or social media accounts. Law enforcement also reviewed thousands of documents and continued to press potential witnesses for information.

As the investigation progressed, law enforcement determined that Waylon Jake Napyer was present when Ms. Lloyd was murdered, although evidence suggested that someone else had killed her. Because Mr. Napyer failed to notify authorities of the murder, in July 2022, he was indicted and charged with Misprision of a Felony. Once authorities determined that Sam had killed Ms. Lloyd by blunt force trauma to the head, Sam was charged with First Degree Murder and Felony Murder in a superseding indictment that included charging Napyer with Misprision of a Felony.

On July 16, 2024, Napyer pled guilty to Misprision of a Felony. On October 22, 2024, United States Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Napyer to 36 months in prison, to be followed by 1 year of supervised release.

On June 11, 2024, Sam plead guilty to an Information charging her with Second Degree Murder. On October 21, 2025, Judge Dimke sentenced Ms. Sam to 300 months in prison, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.

MMIP AUSA Bree Black Horse, who handled the sentencing hearing, recommended a sentence of 300 months in prison, higher than the federal guidelines. AUSA Black Horse noted the brutal nature of the crime: "This murder was not a spontaneous or isolated act of violence; rather, the Defendant deliberately perpetrated a merciless killing motivated by greed and desire to conceal criminal conduct. The Defendant's actions strike at the very core of community safety and demand a punishment that conveys the gravity of this offense."

"This was truly a horrific case that involved the death of a young woman in the prime of her life," United States Attorney Pete Serrano said. "This kind of senseless violence simply has no place in our society. The Lloyd family has truly suffered so much pain due to Ms. Sam's violent acts." Mr. Serrano noted the difficulty investigating and prosecuting this case, saying, "I strongly encourage members of our community to come forward and cooperate with law enforcement so that families don't have to wait years for justice to prevail. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Yakama Nation Tribal Police Department devoted countless hours to solving this tragic case so that Ms. Lloyd's family could have some sense of justice. I also want to commend the six career Assistant United States Attorneys, in both Spokane and Yakima, who all contributed their time and effort, and never gave up in pursuing justice for Ms. Lloyd's murder. This case truly demonstrates a team effort."

"In this shocking case, the defendant turned a holiday gathering nearly eight years ago into a tragic murder," said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. "Ms. Sam stole money from someone she didn't even know and abandoned the victim on the side of the road in the snow, then went on to return later and brutally murder her in an attempt to cover up her crime. Even though an investigation like this one may take years to come to a conclusion, the FBI and our partners will never stop pursuing justice for victims and their loved ones and communities. Combatting violent crime, including on tribal lands, is an important part of that work."

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Yakama Nation Tribal Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Bree R. Black Horse and Ian Garriques.

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