WHAT HAPPENED TO ALIZE MILLARD? SEVEN YEARS OF QUESTIONS FINALLY REVEALED

For nearly seven years, Alize Millard’s family lived without knowing exactly what had happened to the 15-year-old boy who never came home.

Now, after a confession, guilty pleas and federal sentencing, investigators have finally reconstructed the events surrounding his final hours.

But for Alize’s family, the answers came far too late.

A 15-YEAR-OLD WHO NEVER CAME HOME

In the summer of 2019, Alize was staying with his grandparents on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

His grandmother, Mary Gibbs, said Alize was there helping her and her husband while she recovered from a kidney transplant.

She remembered him as a caring teenager who loved helping others and especially enjoyed reading to younger children.

Then, on the night of July 9, 2019, Alize went out with two people he believed he could trust.

He never returned.

 WHAT INVESTIGATORS EVENTUALLY LEARNED

According to federal court filings and reporting by KELO, Alize’s cousin, Dillion Millard, and Millard’s girlfriend, Charmaine Medicine, took the teenager to a secluded area of Ghost Hawk Park.

The three had been drinking.

Court documents later revealed that Medicine was concerned Alize might tell police about another criminal matter, while Millard believed Alize was romantically interested in Medicine.

According to their guilty pleas, the pair ultimately decided to kill him.

THE CASE REMAINED UNSOLVED

Alize’s body was discovered the following day near a tree in the Rosebud Reservation area.

For years, investigators had few answers.

The case remained open while authorities continued trying to determine who was responsible.

Then came the breakthrough that changed everything.

 THE CONFESSION THAT BROKE THE CASE OPEN

In May 2024, nearly five years after Alize’s killing, Dillion Millard came forward and confessed.

His confession implicated both himself and Medicine and eventually led to federal charges against the pair.

Millard later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in August 2025.

Medicine followed with her own guilty plea in May 2026.

For the first time, Alize’s family could finally hear an account of what investigators believed had happened to him.

 THE SENTENCES

On August 10, 2026, a federal judge sentenced both Millard and Medicine to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

The judge described the case as exceptionally disturbing.

The federal prosecution was handled under the Major Crimes Act because the killing occurred on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation. The investigation involved Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

 “HE SHOULD’VE GOT LIFE”

For Alize’s family, the sentences brought answers — but not the punishment they believed he deserved.

His mother, Jamie Millard, said she wanted her son to be remembered for his beautiful smile.

His grandmother said the seven-year wait had been incredibly painful and that she would never forgive Dillion for taking Alize away from the family.

The family has repeatedly emphasized that Alize was much more than the circumstances of his death.

He was a grandson.

A son.

A cousin.

A teenager who loved helping people.

And a boy who never got the chance to finish growing up.

 REMEMBERING ALIZE

His grandmother recalled how Alize would volunteer to read to younger children.

She remembered his willingness to help anyone who needed him.

His mother remembered his smile and laughter.

Those memories now remain at the center of how his family wants him remembered.

 SEVEN YEARS LATER, THE FAMILY FINALLY HAS ANSWERS.

The investigation may have reached its legal conclusion.

Two people are now serving 30-year federal sentences.

But no sentence can return Alize to the family who waited for him.

His grandmother put it simply: she still remembers looking down the road and imagining that he might come home.

He never did.

Now, his family hopes the world remembers not only how Alize was taken from them — but the kind, helpful 15-year-old boy he was before that night.