It is a subspecies of Fea's muntjac, whose home range is mountains further northwest separated by lower land.

However, without further evidence, the exact position of Roosevelt's muntjac cannot be stated.

Berlin Zoo supposedly held this species between 1961 and 1972 (following an import from Northern Vietnam) but it could have been an Indian muntjac, subspecies annamensis.

However, there have been several recent claims to have rediscovered the species, from evidence including skulls owned by villagers in the Truong Son (Annamite) mountains of northern Laos and far northwestern Vietnam.

More recently, photographs from a camera trap at Xuan Lien Nature Reserve in Vietnam appear to have identified two individuals.