Investigation by the FBI-led Safe Trails Task Force—which consists of local, state, federal, and tribal authorities, including the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety—led to Devan Leonard and Gray, who were indicted for the murder in 2015.

“When we started a closer investigation into the two subjects,” Smith said, “we learned of their long history of previous violent crimes.”

Many of those crimes went largely unreported because they occurred in and around Lukachukai, an area so remote from law enforcement that community members who had witnessed RSK’s criminal activity were afraid to come forward for fear of reprisals from the gang.

“This community was being held hostage,” Caputo said. After Devan Leonard and Gray were indicted for the Wheatfields Lake murder, however, and task force members conducted hundreds of interviews in the area, residents gained trust in law enforcement and began to cooperate.

Devan Leonard was eventually linked to two other homicides that occurred four days before the Wheatfields Lake murder. Evidence revealed that Leonard and another RSK leader shot and killed two men and transported their bodies to a remote area in Lukachukai, where they were dismembered, burned, and buried.

According to court documents, Lucille Leonard did not take part in the violence, but did hold a leadership role in RSK, mostly overseeing drug trafficking and the collection of debts owed to the gang.

In all, eight RSK members were indicted and have pleaded guilty as a result of the task force investigation. “We dismantled the gang,” Smith said. “We put a complete stop to their activities.”

“The success of this case can only be attributed to the collaboration of our partner agencies,” Caputo added. “And the community getting on board, providing lots of tips, was invaluable. We are proud of our work on this case,” he said. “We were able to hand the community back to the residents.”