Genoa Boarding School: No remains found after two-week search

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — After a nearly two-week-long search by Nebraska archeologists, no human remains were found at a Native American boarding school in Genoa.

Now, they’re planning to speak with Native American tribes on next steps to find out what happened to over 80 missing Native children.

“I would have preferred that we found the children,” said Judi Gaiashkibos, a member of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs. “But we have to remain hopeful. They’ve been gone for more than 90 years. I feel like I have to remain steadfast and committed.”

Excavations in Genoa began after the remains of 400 children were found in American boarding schools around the U.S. and Canada.

Archeologists say they searched an area where trained dogs picked up a scent. It was located around a strip of land close to the Genoa boarding school, just 90 miles west of Omaha.

A member of the Winnebago Tribe says she hopes other tribes would be included, not just ones in Nebraska, to help with future searches.