by J. Garza, April 14, 2026
On March 19, 2024, with the help of Chief Investigator James Strunk, the Tribe received the remains of eight Ancestors from the Coryell County Sheriff’s Department. These remains included those of both adults and children, ranging in age from very young to teenagers and individuals in their early 20s. In accordance with our traditions, as directed by Tribe Vice-Chairman Robert Soto, the Ancestors were respectfully prepared within Caren Ruiz-Gaetz's tipi, Divine Grace. They were honored through ceremony before being reinterred the following day on Caren's private land, near their original resting place. The reburial restored dignity and respect to the young Ancestors after decades of displacement.
It is important to understand the history of how the Ancestors were first taken, later recovered, respectfully returned, and ultimately reburied. A Gatesville Messenger newspaper article from 1975 reported that a resident of Coryell County disturbed Native burial sites, displaying ancestral remains and funerary items. It was clear from the article and its pictures that this was done without cultural respect. This action by the individual not only violated ethical standards but also contravened Texas law, and occurred before the protections established by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).
In 2018, after the grave robber's death, human bones linked to the same individual were rediscovered in a plastic storage container located in the garage of a private residence. The police were called to investigate. They were determined to be the remains of eight Native individuals, estimated to be around 100 to 150 years old. The remains were mixed together, not as separate individuals, unlike when they were originally found at their burial site near present-day Fort Gates in Coryell County.
After several years of effort by Chief Strunk to comply with NAGPRA procedures, the Ancestors were finally allowed to be repatriated to our Tribe, whose ancestral homelands include the Fort Gates area. By the time we were contacted, the Chief had collaborated with private landowner Caren Ruiz-Gaetz, who generously provided space on her ranch in Gatesville for their reinterment.
The Lipan Apache Tribe expresses its heartfelt gratitude to Chief Strunk for his persistence and dedicated effort in ensuring the proper handling and return of the Ancestors. We also extend our thanks to Caren Ruiz-Gaetz for generously providing land for their reburial, and to all tribal members and Indigenous participants who assisted in the ceremony and helped bring them home with the respect they deserve. In the future, after some land preparation and establishing outside parking space, Caren hopes to open the burial site so that our community can pay their respects to the young Ancestors.
Read more about the reburial at the Gatesville Messenger, April 10, 2026:
From tragedy to restoration: Indigenous remains finally returned to rest in Coryell County
by James Strunk|Special to the Gatesville Messenger (Subscription required)