On July 7, 2022, one day after my son, Muriyd 'Two Clouds' Williams' stiff decomposed body was pulled from the mouth of the Ramapo River onto the first parcel of land he secured for the Ramapough Indians (what is called their religious land), I finally received a call from their chief. A full day had passed without a mere word from him offering condolences for the one person who had propelled him into the spotlight, and brought honor home to his people. As I saw it, even with none of that considered, my son is an enrolled member of the nation this chief was supposed to advocate for and protect. When he received word that Two Clouds had been found dead, he or someone in his stead should have had phoned me immediately, with information and his sleeves rolled up, ready to help where needed.
None of that happened.
Hours passed before I knew anything, and when I did hear of the loss it was by a non-Ramapough who texted my daughter instead of me directly. I could not care less about the chief's call. It was a day late and a dollar short.
I had just left the funeral home, having barely pushed through the surreal experience of preparing my firstborn child's- my best friend's- forever resting place. Bluntly put, I was in no mood for the bullshit from anyone-especially him. I ignored the call then read in disgust the text that came in shortly afterwards. My body jittered as I took in the perfunctory words of sympathy and offerings of a "prayer of peace" and "many blessings" to me and all I love. The fury I felt was distinct. What he did not know was that Two Clouds and I had spoken about him throughout the week, including less than twenty-four hours before my child had gone silent and unreachable by his family and friends.
In fact, those conversations were what made me instantly believe that there was foul play involved. Those and the ones I had with the self-proclaimed friend and comrade (see here) the night of the discovery are what caused me to put my spiritual beliefs aside and allow an autopsy- and thank Creator that I did!
With no conversation nor response from me of any sort, the chief took it upon himself to send this missive to the Bergen County Medical Examiner Office that same day, either after his unanswered call and text to me or before. I had no idea about this letter nor the information that was in it. Four days later after he had not shown up for the funeral, ceremonies directly after (which took place on the tribe's land), or sent a spokesperson in his place, I called him on July 11 to question why.
He said that he had not attended any of the gatherings because he had been quarantined for days with Covid, and that he knew I was likely very busy so did not call again because he did not want to bother me. He told me that he had sent Owl (the advisor, Steven D. Smith) to the Mahwah Police department to request an investigation, and that he could ask the FBI to look into it for me if I wanted. I declined, not wanting him to be involved further. He said he would have Owl send me a copy of the request, but I never received anything.
Weeks later this letter was sent by Owl to someone else who then secretly sent it to me. I was shocked to see the addressee (not Mahwah PD) and all that was written. It began by stating that the chief wanted a "thorough and extensive forensics examination of the body of Muriyd (Two Clouds) Williams and report on the cause of death." I was Two Clouds' emergency contact with his school, bank, place of worship, union, and tribal office. The chief had no permission from me nor my son to make any decision for him in any way, especially since they had become very bitter enemies for many months before his death.
Furthermore, a "thorough and extensive forensic examination" would not have been a normal consideration for us because it is against our spiritual and religious beliefs as Muslims. I only allowed an autopsy because I believed my son had been murdered, and the medical examiner investigator made it clear that I had but one chance to gather possible evidence from the long-dead body before it was buried.
The fraudulent document went on to suggest several possible reasons Two Clouds may have died, yet it was apparently never sent to the police. It was never used to demand an actual police investigation. It was seemingly never again referenced by the chief who has been claiming incessantly from the first day that Two Clouds killed himself by an alcohol-induced accident.
In light of the concerns my son told me and others that he had about the chief, and all the other things that had been said and done- or not said and done- since the morning Two Clouds had gone missing, this letter was evermore proof of an attempted coverup.
The following notes show inconsistencies relative to that number in the document.
a. Two Clouds (Muriyd) did know how to swim, and had learned nearly two decades before. The fact that he was constantly on the water, even standing while canoeing shows how confident he was in his ability to maneuver and not drown should he ever fall in. He was especially confident on the river where he was found, not far from his overturned canoe. The following video is of him on that very spot a few years earlier.
Know that the water at this river mouth is shallow, enough that he would sometimes let
women and children sit in his canoe while he waded, pulling them from behind. On the
day that he was found, the water was even lower.
b. Two days after the funeral, I spoke with an expert canoeist who assured me that
canoes do not simply flip over from someone falling out. I began researching
brand and style of Two Clouds' sixteen foot Mad River Canoe. I learned that it has been trusted by and extremely popular with canoeists for over half a century, but most
importantly, it was built specifically for white water rapids so has great ability
when taking on crashing waters, high waves, large rocks and debris without
capsizing- and while carrying up to 1,000 pounds of cargo. Two Clouds was 191
pounds, and that river area is calm.
I called the company and asked the representative outright, "Is it possible for a sixteen
foot Mad River canoe to flip over if someone falls out of it?" I recorded his response:
3. Notice that the chief first states emphatically that Two Clouds did not know how to
swim then immediately follows it with uncertainty of whether or not he knew how to
swim by stating, "As far as I am aware..." This means that he did not know for sure.
Notice that he did not state where he got this information which is evidentially false.
2. a. Again, he gives a statement that he seems unsure about by issuing, "...if I remember
correctly", and does not say where he got the information he is offering. He says that
Two Clouds told him he had gone to the emergency room the year before his death,
but he does not say that Two Clouds told him he had a heart attack.
Two Clouds would sometimes have chest pains that hurt so badly he believed they felt
like heart attacks. As a long time nurse, I told him his symptoms seemed more like
anxiety. He had gone to the hospital for a thorough assessment, and they confirmed that
his suffering was due to chronic anxiety. The autopsy findings validated the hospital's
testings by proving no evidence of past heart trauma of any kind as well as no
heart attack at the time of his death.
b. Notice that the chief interjects that he was surprised due to Two Clouds' age. Surprised
about what?
Someone may think he is referencing the alleged heart attack mentioned in the first
sentence, but actually his surprise is in the second sentence prefacing that Two Clouds
said he had gone to the emergency room. Why would that be surprising? Many people
Two Clouds' age and much younger visit the emergency room daily so what would be so
surprising? And why would his opinion about it be important enough to mention to the
medical examiner?
3. a. The chief names two people who serve as representatives for the Ramapo Hunt and
Polo Club HOA and Ramapough Mountain Indians Inc. (More on them and their roles may
be referenced here: RMI HOA Signed Settlement Agreement_Redacted.pdf 6b).
The HOA manages and advocates for the wealthy neighbors who are owners of the
mansions that surround the land where Two Clouds was found. According to this letter,
the man mentioned is also a neighbor. He called the woman who is mentioned on July 5
(the day before my son was found) because he noticed Two Clouds' car had been parked
on the land "for 3 to 4 days". Per the settlement agreement, both representatives are
responsible for making the other aware if there is a parking situation that infringes the
arrangement.
However, Two Clouds' car was parked where he always parked it: on the tribal land
away from the street, away from HOA property, and not obstructing traffic. He
was in no way going against the settlement agreement which states (6a):
Before and after the new access point is opened, the Ramapough will
maintain on their website1 instructions that those visiting 95 Halifax
Road should not park on or along Halifax Road or Bridle Path Lane on
land owned by the HOA. The RMI will further actively manage the pro-
hibition of parking on HOA property.
Besides that, Two Clouds had consistently stayed on that land, sometimes for days, parked
in that exact spot since he first came there to fight for and secure it for the Ramapough in
October 2022. It was a fact known by neighbors, tribal members, and the police
department. Therefore, there was no reason for the HOA's representative to be
concerned about seeing the car that day. So why did he call?
b. The chief stated that he confirmed for the representative when she called that the car
was Two Clouds', and that he assumed he had parked it there while going out of town.
That would have been out of character for Two Clouds especially since a van he owned
had been torched a couple of years before when he left it parked in the woods while
he left town. He lost very important documents, books, clothing, and other items in the
blaze, and vowed to never trust leaving a vehicle unsecure again. When he traveled up to
Mashpee that past weekend, he was driving his own car.
c. Notwithstanding the many inconsistencies surrounding the car, why did the chief see fit
to mention all of this to the medical examiner? He is asking for "a thorough and
extensive forensic examination" (which is to say, use scientific testing to figure out what
happened and why) while attempting to give how's and why's sans scientific evidence.
What exactly is the intention of this letter?
d. A question that may not readily reveal itself is: If RMI and HOA were and are trying to
work together amicably, if the HOA representative called with concerns about Two Clouds'
car being parked for so many days, why did not and has not the chief asked for
footage from the four cameras that the Polo Club has stationed at the entrance and
exit of the bridge that all visitors must pass when coming onto the area?
Remember that the RMI land parcel referenced in the settlement agreement is what they
were about to lose to the Polo Club when Two Clouds came there. The chief was literally
about to lose the nearly 14 acres (leaving the tribe with no land at all), and told my son
that rich white people were trying to steal their ancestral land yet no one would help him
fight for it.
Two Clouds is the sole reason why RMI has that land yet more importantly, why the
Polo Club does not have it, and most importantly, why they have to reach an
agreement in the first place rather than simply shut RMI out of the area altogether.
4. The chief informs the medical examiner that a man who leads a campaign "attacking
Ramapough" came to the land with his "War Club" nineteen days (less than three weeks)
before Two Clouds was found, and that the man goes by the name "Strong Walker". The
chief implies that the man is dangerous when he states that civil and criminal complaints
had been filed. (*Notice the date is written wrongly as July 17 but should be June 17.)
The most obvious questions here are:
a) Why did the chief not send this letter to the police?
b) Why has he not insisted on an police investigation into this man for Two
Clouds' death, the man who he already had complaints filed against not just for falsely
claiming the land, but for threatening harm to Ramapough members?
c) Why did he not have one of RMI's lawyers file paperwork for the HOA's
camera footage to see if the man or one of his "War Club" members had returned to
the land and harmed Two Clouds?
d) Why did he push the idea for so long that Two Clouds was drunk and had
fallen out his canoe to his death- an assumption not shared with the medical
examiner, incidentally- rather than the possibility that the man that Two Clouds had
traveled 4+ hours to Mashpee just days before, hoping to gain allies in warding off, could
be a really good direction to look? Instead of Two Clouds becoming intoxicated and
accidentally killing himself (I will remind you here that the canoe would not have flipped if
he fell out, and that there was no water in his lungs.
5. a. Lastly, the chief recalled incidents from years before when Two Clouds was fighting
hard against the Polo Club, neighbors, police, the town of Mahwah, and even many tribal
members for the Ramapough's right to use their own land any way they pleased. Two
Clouds lived on the land for two years in tents then a yurt, through stifling heat and frigid
winters until the chief forced him to leave. Neighbors around the land cursed Two Clouds,
flung dog dung at him, threatened him, called him nigger, and shot at him during the
night. Two Clouds had filed an affidavit documenting the harassments during that time
which is what the chief states was attached with the letter.
b. Yet again, the question arises: Why was this information not sent to the police
department if it was important enough to send to the medical examiner as a
possible cause of death?
c. If the chief's intention was to assist the medical examiner because he believed
something must have led to Two Clouds' death- either self-caused, medically caused, or
by outside sources (the only obvious assumptions), why did he not:
i. mention his cousin who had stolen approximately $33,000 worth of cigarettes
from a smoke shop that Two Clouds was manipulated into managing. Although the
chief's cousin had admitted to stealing them, Two Clouds was being held
responsible and expected to repay the investors who had lent the tribe the
money to open and supply the store. Two Clouds was livid because the chief and
council wanted to keep calling meetings to talk about it- or to suggest ceremonial
sweats to deal with it- but not uphold their Constitutional law and their
leadership obligations by reprimanding the cousin, and making him repay the
money that was his responsibility, not Two Clouds'.
The chief's cousin basically self-isolated for months in order to avoid Two Clouds and
the aforementioned self-proclaimed friend and comrade who was only known for being
very rowdy, an intimidator and tormentor everywhere he went-and who had a sharp
eye on the cousin. Then as soon as the day after Two Clouds was found, the cousin
began making Facebook posts that seemed eerily cheerful and in reference to Two
Clouds (when virtually everyone who knew him was collectively mourning), and on the
day of the funeral he spread his wings and flew the coup, posting, "Think I'm going out
tonight and look for a little fun. I'm tired of being in a place where I don't belong so
I'm going to do me f*** it". Some people found this odd, especially because the
extremely hotheaded tormentor was still around, and he loved to start trouble for much less than a "comrade" suddenly turning up dead- and his enemy seeming non-
chalant about it.
Furthermore, from the first day many tribal members believed the cousin was involved
in the death because of the heated battle over the tens of thousands of dollars Two
Clouds would not give up demanding he repay. In fact, Two Clouds went to his
grave infuriated by what he considered utter betrayal by the entire tribal
government who refused to stand with him and their ancestors in truth.
This is a photo of where Two Clouds was found. Some felt it was
odd for the cousin to post- and make it his cover photo- it at that time,
particularly since he was known to visit the land only during events.
ii. mention that he and Two Clouds had been locked in a heated battle that was going
on at the time of his death and for many months before. That was due to the
stolen cigarettes, and the chief’s refusal to go against his family. But it was also
because Two Clouds was against him and the council deciding to sell off some
of the land. Also, Two Clouds was one of the many tribal members accusing him of
money laundering more than $1M. There is currently a petition circulating from
members of the tribe on change.org, but I am not going to link it here because I was
informed (too late) that the person who started it is the wolf clan chief who seems to
have his eye on chiefdom. Not only do I believe he is as incompetent as the current
chief, and as uncaring about my son's murder as all of the other clan chiefs and tribal
council members, but he also placed my son's primary murderer as his sub-
chief- when is at least a thousand times more incompetent. I do not believe he is
trustworthy nor a benefit to the people so I will not further his cause on our platforms.
However, it is a fact that many tribal members are convinced their chief has been
stealing money as well as misappropriating their land which was returned to them
by Two Clouds.
Two Clouds believed he had indefectible evidence that his and the others’ assumptions were correct. He planned to expose the chief soon, but wanted to meet with a
particular elder first.
If the chief wanted to be helpful to the medical examiner, and if he was confident in
his and his cousin’s innocence, why was he not forthcoming in telling every possibility, if only for the sake of clearing their names?
These notes reflect discrepancies I have found in the letter sent by the tribal chief to
the medical examiner yet not the police department. For clarity, understand that
RMI is only state recognized not federally recognized. Therefore, they do not have their own tribal police. They use the same law enforcement as all other citizens of Mahwah.
If the chief believed that he had just cause to suspect five different directions the
medical examiner should look- and that his suspicions were important enough to lie that
I was on board with him requesting an examination and the report- why did he also
not send these major concerns which included possible murder to the police??
It may be hard for many people to accept that the chief lied, connived, and attempted to scheme the medical examiner in regards to the death of my son, Muriyd Two Clouds Williams, but truth is truth. And the evidence is clear. People do not lie and manipulate for no reason, so ask yourself:
WHAT was he trying to hide??
WHO did his lying benefit??
HOW is his lying beneficial to himself and/or others??
WHY is he and his cohorts still so quiet??
WHEN will the Ramapough and so-called Indigenous allies finally demand that he and the tribal government push for an investigation into Two Clouds' death??
WHERE is all the empathy, concern, and outrage for missing and murdered Indigenous persons that so many- especially those with power and prestige- claim to possess??
UPDATE: July 16, 2024 9:42 am
This is a video I uploaded to our YouTube channel going over some of the settlement agreement mentioned above, with commentary.
Article written by M. Ansari 2024
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