Workplace jealousy may be a motive in the tragic murder of a pregnant woman. ![]() Jodie Bordeaux ![]() Shawn & Jodie Bordeaux CASE DETAILS ![]() Golden Casino, Powhattan, Kansas Jodie Bordeaux and her husband, Shawn, had been receiving disturbing anonymous phone calls for weeks at their house on the Kickapoo Indian reservation in Powhattan, Kansas. Jodie was also sure someone was lurking in their yard. Shawn tried to reassure her:
Not only was the danger Jodie sensed real, it would ultimately lead to her murder. Shawn and Jodie were part of a management team hired to run the Golden Eagle, the first Indian-owned casino in the area. The casino had huge potential for the tribe, with annual earnings in the millions and job opportunities for the local tribe’s people. ![]() Jodie was promoted to slot-machine supervisor Shawn and Jodie were also looking forward to the birth of their first child, a girl. Everything seemed to be going Jodie’s way, even at work. She had been promoted to staff supervisor of the slot-machine department. Shawn was thrilled for her:
Jodie believed that some of the staff were resentful of her new position. Mary Pierpoint, a reporter for Indian Country Today, agreed:
![]() Jodie died instantly According to Shawn, Jodie frequently reported the same employee for his bad attitude and tardiness:
When the employee was brought before the casino management board for review, he was reprimanded and put on probation. But the problems continued and the employee was eventually fired. A few weeks later, the employee brought a grievance against Jodie to the tribal council. Shawn saw it as an act of vengeance. The complaint cost Jodie her job. She spent the next month petitioning the tribal council to re-hire her. The anonymous phone calls began when it was rumored that Jodie might return to the casino:
Late one November evening, Shawn and Jodie were spending a quiet night at home when a noise startled the Bordeaux’s dog:
Shawn had no doubt that Jodie was dead. He quickly dialed 911, hoping to save his unborn baby. It was too late. Despite an exhaustive investigation, Jodie Bordeaux’s killer remains at large. Kevin Hill was the County Attorney assigned to the case:
Nancy Bear, a Tribal Council Chairperson, has appealed to anyone with information to come forward:
Watch this case now on Amazon Prime in season eleven with Robert Stack and in season one with Dennis Farina. Also available on YouTube with Dennis Farina. Various seasons available now on Hulu. SUBMIT A TIP |
Anonymous
Vince knows he did it confess!
Aggravated
What about forensics?? Finger prints on the shell casings found?? Tire tracks?? Wow horrible investigation!! Sound political for sure since they were not from here why put forth the effort I’m sure they knew who it was or is just too much trans and drama for them in the small town podunck politics !!
Anonymous
This is really a hard case. It is only 30 miles from Leavenworth. (The toughest prison in the country, if not the world.) It could have been a possible hate crime. The casino did just open up. And even though the Kickapoo tribe may have had grudges against each other, they are very good people overall. It is just a sad story altogether.
Frank
I lived in the Hiawatha area for decades until I retired and moved to Colorado. There was always a LOT of internal politics at the Kickapoo Reservation. In my opinion the politics were driven by an extent by racism from the Indians toward white people. I noticed this going clear back to when my high school (Highland 1970’s) played Powhattan in sports. Although I didn’t have any Indian friends at the Kickapoo Reservation (because of physical distance of nearly thirty miles) I did have close friends who were Indians from the nearby Sac and Fox Reservation. The Kickapoo seemed inherently more racist than the Sac and Fox to me from my dealings both in high school and later during my career in state government. It doesn’t surprise me that an individual or two from the Kickapoo Reservation might have pushed their racism against whites to the limit which ended in taking the life of this female employee of the Casino. Keep in mind this is purely speculation on my part from decades of observation. My opinion could be influenced unfairly by my own interactions with members of the Tribal government.
Corie
It’s all about motive. Motive is the key here. It’s sad that this hasn’t been solved . The motive is pretty clear.
anonymous
It has nothing to do with politics it is very hard to solve a case when you don’t have any eyewitness or leads past this point if they where to convict a person with out hard evidence then that would be due to politics.
Gigi
Very disappointed this case hasn’t been solved. It’s like she didn’t matter. No one cares anymore. Everyone knows who did it. But of course, some people’s lives have less value than the politics behind the crime itself. The optics on this case and hasn’t changed for me, “never work or trust what goes on, on a reservation”.
James
People are still watching these, the people aren’t forgotten and the cases aren’t going away.
I hope many of these crimes can still be solved
Nancy Reply?
Unsolved: did you follow up on the comment to “Nancy” ? How awful this hasn’t been solved yet- you would think police would want to put a bit of a squeeze on these bums and release the list of names and turn the heat up for someone to talk or slip up. I’d love to see the/these scumbag(s) caught!
Cody
I met Sean, but not Jodie to my knowledge. I feel the Kockapoo people are getting the raw end of the deal. I don’t Believe in victim blaming. Here is what I do know. Kanawha benefits out of ZKentucky insured the tribe for health insurance. Fertility is not s covered benefit , yet ZKsnaehs was paying something astronomical related to a pregnancy for Jodie. The insurance company supposedly made a request for reimbursement. The Fertility doctor is also at fault. He would have had to alter the CPT codes to get reimbursement. If the fertility codes were specifically flagged, there is no payment made by the insurance company. Therefore, payment was made. Kanawha benefits sought to recoup their money. The practice of changing codes to payable ones would be considered UPCODING. My question is, how do you repossess an unborn child?
Jade
I hope authorities can soon give her family peace, closure, and answers.
Emily
How would cutting the baby out help? That doesn’t seem like a smart idea.
Really hope the killer is found
Anonymous
Dear Nancy, The Person Your Looking For is Related to You, in more that one way including socially. also, when, this person was in the Hospital, You Visited them, and there is 9 people, that would fight to keep this quite, with out being pushed.The Bible is Exalted, 1 COR CH 12-14
chanita
she’s so beatiful
LUIS FREEH
WHAT DOES A TRIBAL COUNCIL HALF TO DO WITH A BIBLE? SHE COST SOMEBODY A “NEW CAR”! SUSPISIONS OF RIGGING OR TAMPERING WITH THE “SLOTS”! PEOPLE WIN THE “SLOTS” ALL THE TIME WHAT’S $40,000 $50,00 $60,000 GRAND TO A CASINO!
Jay
Nothing to do with a bible or anything like that, but then again, when it comes to murder in a number of instances, you’re going to be dealing with someone who doesn’t possess a fully functioning conscience so they won’t play by any rules you or I would know. People without a conscience (Psychopaths, sociopaths, malignant narcissists – that last one being Donald Trump and a lot of destructive people like him like Kim Jong), literally can’t empathize, sympathize, hold compassion for other human beings, or feel guilt, shame or remorse, so they don’t live life caring about others on any level (Though there are some with a low to moderate level of conscience, but it would be difficult to know how much they do care, other than going by their actions), so murdering another person means as little to them as most people feel when they squash a bug. (And some of us even feel guilty for that…But people who murder in cold blood often don’t. They sleep very well at night and don’t care at all…That’s the danger of them.). So they might want to look out for people like that, who lack sincerity, who have symptoms related to such mental disorders and character flaws. If it was something WITH a conscience, then that’ll be showing up in some way, like via their anger and guilt.
Woody
Prayers to the father/husband of Jodie..also for the person responsible for this tragedy..nothing is worth this..the person responsible is slowly dying inside if not already…supernaturally…this event is unfolding in the shadows..he sees the house..pulls the trigger over and over again..same result..she’s gone..over and over…you know who you are..”did you get away with it”..smile…hard..cause in the end you didn’t..whether it’s on this world to the next…justice will prevail..it always does…peace..
Diana
Amen !
Annalyse
I just wish the husband had cut the baby from the poor dead mother’s womb (I’ve heard the baby was far enough along to survive outside the mother) as there was no sense in both dying !!! I know it seems ‘gross’, but doctors do it all the time & if he was careful he might have saved the baby — it was WORTH the try !!!!! So, sad what jealousy & anger cause some humans to do !!!
Cassie
Me too
randy blazek
what was the employees name and was he questioned where is he now
Lula Bunz
.honestly.i think it was the employee that she was having the problems with because these things didnt start happening until after he was fired.smh.i hope he’s a suspect
allison
i hope they catch him