The trial of Nathan Chasing Horse, a former child actor from the Oscar-winning film Dances with Wolves who later styled himself as a Native American healer, began last Tuesday in Las Vegas. He faces 21 criminal charges, including sexual assault of a minor, first-degree kidnapping of a minor, and the use of a minor in producing pornography. Chasing Horse has pleaded not guilty.
From Hollywood to Healing: The Rise of a 'Messianic' Figure
Nathan Chasing Horse, who played Smiles a Lot in Dances with Wolves, later travelled North America performing healing ceremonies. His reputation drew in followers like Melissa Leone, who sought connection to her Lakota heritage after learning of her descent in the mid-1990s. "It was like he turned the lights on in a dark room," Leone said of her initial encounter with him in 2005. She, and others, eventually saw him as a messianic figure within his group, known as the Circle, which at its peak had roughly 300 members.
Chasing Horse cultivated an image of profound spiritual power. At a 2013 gathering, he recounted how a ceremony had allegedly cured his mother's terminal throat cancer after white doctors had given up hope. He spoke of healing rituals involving a ceremonial whistle, warning followers that using it would shorten their own lifespan—a powerful tool for instilling fear and control, according to former associate Fernando Trujillo.
A Pattern of Alleged Abuse and Exploitation
The indictment alleges that Chasing Horse's perceived healing powers enabled him to sexually abuse minors. One accuser is Ren Leone-LaCroix, Melissa Leone's daughter. Court records state that in 2013, when she was 14, she travelled to Las Vegas to seek Chasing Horse's help for her mother's cancer diagnosis. After preparing a meal for him, he allegedly took her into a bedroom closet, told her it was "a life for a life," which he explained meant taking "her first born and her virginity," and then raped her. She told ABC News the abuse continued for years as she travelled with him.
By 2015, leaders of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes in Montana had banished Chasing Horse from their reservation over allegations of human trafficking, drug dealing, and spiritual abuse. Concerns about exploitative 'medicine men' are not isolated. Crystal Lee, CEO of United Natives, stated Chasing Horse is "not a one-off," citing recent convictions of purported healers among other Indigenous nations.
Cult-like Control and a Long Road to Justice
Former followers describe a pattern of manipulation and brainwashing. Fernando Trujillo said Chasing Horse would "fearmonger that if you left his Circle, your family would die." Melissa Leone echoed this, describing the "spiritual manipulation he uses to control each one of us." She was unaware, she says, that her daughter had allegedly been raped years before Chasing Horse sought permission for the then-16-year-old to become one of his spiritual wives—a request Leone initially saw as an "honour."
Las Vegas police finally arrested Chasing Horse in 2023 at a home he shared with five wives. The Associated Press reported he had instructed his wives to "shoot it out" with officers if they tried to "break their family apart." Police found video evidence of him having sex with a minor. While a 2023 indictment was dismissed due to a procedural error, a grand jury re-indicted him in 2024. He also faces separate charges in Canada.
The trial throws a stark light on the broader crisis of violence against Native American women. A 2016 study found more than half have experienced sexual violence. For Melissa Leone, the case is about more than one man. "This is about medicine people, and all Indian country, exploiting their people under the guise of spirituality," she said. "That must end." Despite the earlier dismissal, she remains "100% confident" he will be convicted.
