The accounts say that Victorio lamented her absence specifically — that without Lozen, they were at a disadvantage that contributed to the disasters that followed.

What happened to Victorio in her absence is documented history: on October 15, 1880, he was killed with most of his band by Mexican forces at Tres Castillos in Chihuahua.

It was one of the deadliest single engagements in the history of the Apache Wars, and it effectively ended the resistance associated with Victorio’s leadership.

The specific detail of Lozen’s absence during this catastrophe is preserved in the oral accounts and has been interpreted in various ways.

Some accounts suggest that if Lozen had been present, her power to detect the position of enemies might have warned the band about the approaching Mexican forces before the ambush was sprung.