Jurisdiction On Indian Reservations belongs to the FBI
In the beginning of the Kim Nees investigation, the FBI properly assumed investigative authority. Any crime committed on an Indian Reservation (Federally Protected Lands) belongs under the FBI Jurisdiction. However, in 1963 the United States Congress passed what is known as Public Law 280.
Public Law 280 gives State Authorities to assume dominate jurisdiction on Federally Protected Lands if…
1.) The victim or assailant in the crime are not Enrolled Tribal Members.
If you study the Investigative Reports, they all come from or are referred to the FBI. The FBI conducted most of the Forensic Reports, Witness Statements, and other crime scene reports. Until March of 1980, when then Roosevelt County Sheriff Dean Mahlum falsely stated that Barry Beach, a non-enrolled individual was the SUSPECT.
If at any time there is proven to be an enrolled Tribal Member involved in the murder of Kim Nees, the Jurisdiction Belongs to the FBI.