Members of AATTAP’s AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) team attended a powerful missing and murdered Indigenous persons (MMIP) memorial bench dedication in Fairbanks, Alaska, hosted by the Tanana Chiefs Conference. The event brought together families, Tribal leaders, and community members to honor the lives of those tragically taken or still missing. The dedication included heartfelt speeches and the reading of 48 names, each one representing a person, a story, and a life stolen. “We are committed to working with our partners to ensure that every community has the resources to respond swiftly when a child goes missing and to honor those we’ve lost by protecting those still with us,” said AIIC Program Manager Tyesha M. Wood. Added AATTAP Administrator/National Criminal Justice Training Center Director Janell Rasmussen, “Being surrounded by families and communities who carry such a deep pain and resilience is a powerful reminder of why we do this work.”
Draft legislation by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski—the federal Native Children’s Commission Implementation Act of 2025—calls for increased funding and new programs aimed at improving the well-being of Indigenous children and their families. It also seeks to address a wide range of issues including health, housing, and education. Public feedback on the proposal closed this fall, and will be incorporated in the draft bill expected to be introduced on the U.S. Senate floor at some point in 2026. “I look forward to hearing from Tribal leaders, advocates, and non-profits supporting Native families as we work to improve policies that directly impact their communities,” said Murkowski, chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Millions of dollars are proposed for Tribally run child welfare and juvenile justice programs, as well as culturally appropriate mental health and substance use services. Proposed initiatives include Tribal advisory committees on juvenile justice and maternal health; a nationwide examination of the number and status of all missing Indigenous children cases; and an Office on Native Children at the Department of the Interior, which would, in part, serve as a clearinghouse for federal data and grant opportunities.
A combined $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the discovery of 13-year-old Sa’Wade Birdinground, last seen at her grandparents’ home on the Crow Indian Reservation in Garryowen, Montana, October 6, 2024. The FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office offered a $5,000 award that was matched by the executive branch of the Crow Tribe, of which Birdinground is a member. After announcing the reward this summer, people in the community held a walk and presentation of red balloons at Little Big Horn College to symbolize collective hope and continued efforts to bring Birdinground home. “For eight months, Sa’wade’s family has had to know life without her,” said FBI special agent Mehtab Syed at a press conference. “Sa’Wade is not forgotten. We’re doing anything in our power to bring her home.” A tip line has opened exclusively for information on the case. “No tip is too small or insignificant,” Syed said.
Three new online videos highlighting the AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) initiative can be a powerful resource for Tribal communities and law enforcement. The short videos—which are available to watchon the AIIC website—highlight the importance of enhanced training and collaboration to help save children’s lives. Tribes can use the videos to gain a better understanding of the AMBER Alert system and their community’s preparedness. The videos are also a tool to encourage relationship-building among Tribes, state agencies, and law enforcement. In the videos, Tribal law enforcement and government leaders from around the United States share how the AMBER Alert system is vital to helping find missing and abducted children quickly and safely. The videos also show the value of multijurisdictional collaboration and response preparedness in Tribal communities. An AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP) AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) team worked with an Indigenous-led production company on filming in New Mexico. AIIC is part of the National Criminal Justice Training Center (NCJTC) of Fox Valley Technical College.
Native American Tribes in California are slated to begin a range of projects in conjunction with the state’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Grant Program. California awarded nearly $13 million in grants to support 15 projects led by Tribes or Tribal collaborations to address the MMIP crisis. The projects are designed to develop culturally based prevention strategies, strengthen community outreach, and improve responsiveness in missing persons cases. The Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria plans to focus on youth programming, including establishing events to help youth understand the risks of trafficking. The Yurok Tribe’s grant includes hiring a full-time MMIP victim advocate, while the Round Valley Indian Tribe is eyeing a modular office building to use as an MMIP headquarters. The Pala Band of Mission Indians’ plans include purchasing a drone and providing training for volunteer search and rescue. The California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) approved the grants under a program established in 2022.
The New Mexico Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Task Force heard emotional testimonies as part of its ongoing efforts to address the MMIP crisis. Family members and others attending the group’s quarterly meeting recounted how Indigenous people have been impacted by human trafficking and the disproportionately high number of missing girls and women. Birga Alden, a task force member and chief communication officer at the nonprofit New Mexico Dream Center, emphasized the importance of hearing Indigenous voices and taking action. The task force, which collaborates with the New Mexico Department of Justice, is using its meetings to raise awareness of the MMIP crisis and to work toward updating a 2022 state response plan. That plan, released by the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department, outlines strategies to improve data collection and support for survivors and families.
The Missing & Murdered Diné Relatives (MMDR) Task Force continues to ramp up training initiatives as part of its strategy to combat the crisis of missing and murdered people across Navajo Nation. The Arizona group recently met with representatives of AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC), part of the AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP), to reviewupdates and information about the Ashlynne MikeAMBER Alert in Indian Country Act. It also learned more about AATTAP’s Child Abduction Tabletop Exercise (CATE), a tool that helps communities strengthen emergency response capabilities. MMDR Task Force Chair Amber Kanazbah Crotty called the presentation “a commitment to action, to justice, and to protecting our children and families.” The task forceis collaborating with AIIC to schedule a series of training sessions to help Tribal law enforcement officials, educators, and community members be better prepared in cases of missing Indigenous children. It plans to integrate AIIC training programs into its regular meetings.
The FBI is surging resources to investigate unsolved cases in Indian Country, including those relating to missing and murdered Indigenous persons (MMIP). As part of “Operation Not Forgotten,” 60 FBI agents will be temporarily deployedto 10 field offices nationwide to work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions. The BIA’s Missing and Murdered Unit and the FBI will use advanced forensic technology in their efforts. The FBI’s Indian Country program had about 4,300 open investigations at the beginning of fiscal year 2025. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said that the collaboration will “help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve.” This is the third deployment under the operation, which has provided investigative support to more than 500 cases in the past two years and resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims and 52 arrests. Frank Star Comes Out, President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, said he welcomes the additional resources, but added “we’re not done yet.”
The disappearance and murder of a 14-year-old girl prompted Arizona lawmakers to pass “Emily’s Law,”establishing a new emergency alert for missing Indigenous persons. The Arizona Legislature had been considering a “Turquoise Alert” system when Emily Pike, a San Carlos Apache teen, was found murdered after she was reported missing from a group home in late January. Her case prompted lawmakers to amend the original bill to include minors under the age of 18 and name the legislation in her memory. “We cannot let children go missing without somebody being alerted,” said Rep. Teresa Martinez, the bill’s sponsor. The Arizona measure follows closely on the heels of a “Turquoise Alert” the New MexicoLegislature unanimously passed. The alerts, which function similar to an AMBER Alert, provide a rapid response when an Indigenous person is reported missing and there is evidence of imminent danger. Washington, California, and Colorado have similar alerts
A new measure will require law enforcement authorities in California to collect and provide information on crimes that occur on Native American lands. Under the mandate signedby Governor Gavin Newsom, the data must be provided to the California Department of Justice to help better address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) crisis and collaboratively work toward improving public safety and justice in Indian Country. California is home to the second-highest number of federally recognized Native American Tribes in the United States and ranks fifth in the nation in unresolved MMIP cases.
Noting that eight Indigenous youth under the age of 18 had gone missing in the first five weeks of 2025, North Dakota Representative Jayme Davis introduced a bill urging state lawmakers to pass a Feather Alert to help safely recover missing persons from Tribal communities. The alert would be “another tool in our toolbox” to combat the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people, said Davis, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. “This is not just a Tribal issue—it is a North Dakota issue, and it is our responsibility to act,” Davis noted in pushing the measure forward. The Feather Alert would only be activated at the state level after meeting strict criteria, comparable to an AMBER Alert, in which the missing person is believed to be in danger and there is information about the vehicle, person, or abductor. California is currently the only state with a Feather Alert. In addition to the new alert, North Dakota lawmakers have also been considering a measure to create a task force designed to fill communication gaps among Tribal, federal, state, and local agencies.
In 2019, the Montana Legislature created the Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force. The effort brought together Tribal representatives with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials to address the disproportionately high number of missing or murdered Indigenous children and adults. But ever since its creation, the task force has not had a way to raise money for training, equipment, and other expenses to fulfill its goals. A new law will change that. During the 2025 legislative session, State Representative Tyson Running Wolf sponsored a measure that creates a special state revenue account to allow the task force to raise and accept its own funding through grants, gifts, and donations. The measure authorizes the account to initially be funded with $1. The bill sailed throughboth the House and Senate before being signed by Montana governor. The law takeseffect July 1.
Reported cases of missing Indigenous people in Nebraska have nearly doubled—from 23 in 2020 to 43 in 2024. Those figures come roughly five years after the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) was tasked with studying and producing recommendations to curb the disproportionate rate at which Indigenous children and women go missing. Officials believe the increased number of missing Indigenous people reveals a more accurate picture of the crisis, one stemming from NSP efforts to include race in missing persons reports. Although critics question why the agency’s landmark study—on which other states have modeled theirs—has seen few recommended actions implemented, others say change is happening. “Progress is not as fast as I would always like it to be, but I do believe we are making progress,” said Judi gaiashkibos, a citizen of the Ponca Tribe and director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, which worked with the NSP on the report.
More than two years ago, Washington became the first state to implement alerts for missing Indigenous people. Today, law enforcement officials say the alerts—enacted in response to statistics showing that Indigenous persons go missing at a higher rate than other groups—have proved crucial in locating missing teens, many of whom can become victims of trafficking. Carri Gordon of the Washington State Patrol says the presence of the alerts has been effective in getting runaway youth to make contact with law enforcement. The alerts are also credited with improving coordination between Tribal and non-Tribal authorities which supports swifter location of missing persons. Gordon notes that MMIP alerts have helped solve longer-term cases (including that of Puyallup Tribal member Besse Handy).
Alaska is ushering in the new year with an increased focus on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) crisis. New legislation signed by Governor Mike Dunleavy requires Indigenous cultural training for new police officers, an assessment of the Department of Public Safety’s investigative resources for reporting MMIP cases, and the establishment of a commission to review and report on unsolved cases. Deilah Johnson, an advocate with the Village of Solomon Tribe, calls the commission a much-needed step. “At the state level, there was just not a lot of discussion or acknowledgment in addressing any of the overwhelming statistics surrounding the issues facing Indigenous populations, specifically women and young girls,” Johnson said. The nine-member commission, which includes seats for victim advocacy and Alaska Native Tribal organizations, will report findings to the Alaska Legislature. Johnson hopes the new measures will continue to generate awareness about MMIP and inspire partnerships to build additional resources.
Tribal courts could soon have easier access to electronic evidence such as emails and social media messages in criminal cases—a move that would be beneficial, among other things, in Internet crimes against children investigations. U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Mike Rounds of South Dakota introduced the bipartisan Tribal Access to Electronic Evidence Act as a way to give Tribal courts equitable access and better equip them to deliver justice for victims. “We know that criminals are using online tools to traffic drugs and commit other crimes in Indian Country,” Cortez Masto said. “What we also know is that Tribal courts struggle to get electronic evidence because tech companies won’t honor those Tribal warrants.” Rounds added that it’s important that Tribal law enforcement is able to do its job “without the federal government getting in the way.”
Saying that there is “still so much more to do,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland vowed to continue prioritizing efforts to combat the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) crisis. Initiatives include the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) MMIP Regional Outreach Program which places attorneys and coordinators in regions across the U.S. to help prevent and respond in MMIP cases. And during a visit to the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, Garland announced that, based on the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations, DOJ is working to improve funding, enhance research to better trace underlying causes, and develop guidance on engaging the public when someone is reported missing. “Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice,” Garland said in highlighting some of the efforts on National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day in May. “This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and be true partners with Tribal communities.”
Indigenous female motorcyclists continue to rev up their engines—as well as their messaging—to raise awareness about the high rate of missing and murdered girls and women in Native American communities. This past July, the Medicine Wheel Ride motorcycle group from Phoenix partnered with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in Santa Barbara County, California, for a “We Ride for Her” event. Organized through the Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic, the event featured a screening of the “We Ride for Her” documentary highlighting the motorcycle group’s work, which includes fundraising, assisting advocates searching for missing Native American girls and women, and raising awareness through annual rallies and rides. The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians remains the only federally recognized Chumash Tribe in the nation.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted a proposal for an emergency alert that could help save the lives of missing and endangered Indigenous people. The new alert code would make it easier for public safety officials to use TV, radio, and cell phones to notify the public about missing Native Americans and Alaska Natives. The proposal was led by Native Public Media, a national organization supporting Indigenous radio and television broadcasters. The Indigenous groups comprise a significant portion of the missing and murdered cases in the United States, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In May, the FCC sought public comment on the proposal, and a final vote to create the new alert code within the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) is pending.
Is there hope for the hundreds of missing and murdered Indigenous women? An article by Rachel Monroe in The New Yorker begs this question, and the answer may lie in the strength of other Indigenous women. Lela Mailman became an advocate for the voiceless after her 21-year-old daughter, Melanie James, vanished in 2014 in Farmington, New Mexico, a city bordering the Navajo Nation. Local police and media outlets seemed indifferent; Melanie’s name was misspelled in reports, and wasn’t entered in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) until three years later. Mailman sought strength in numbers, joining with mothers of other missing children at marches, protests, and prayer gatherings. The #MMIW social media movement traces back to 2012 when Canadian journalist Sheila North, a member of the Cree Nation, began using the hashtag to raise awareness and spark action in Canada and the United States. “North was particularly struck by how many cases went unsolved—evidence, to her, that society regarded Native women as essentially disposable,” Monroe notes. Melanie James’ case is one of more than 4,000 unsolved cases of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Natives, according to The Bureau of Indian Affairs. “Listening to Melanie’s family tell their story, I had the uneasy thought that justice in her case might not look like answers, arrests, and convictions but, instead, like subsequent missing persons cases being approached respectfully and rigorously the first time around.”
Native American voters could decide major elections in 2024, and grassroots efforts are underway across swing states to get this important electorate out to vote as Democrats and Republicans vie for power. Key issues for Native Americans, particularly Native American women, include the high rate of missing and murdered Indigenous women, according to a 2023 First Nations Development Institute (FNDI) National Survey of Native Americans. This demographic is a powerful voting bloc with at least five million voters in the U.S. who identify as Native and Alaska Natives, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
Native Americans who lost loved ones to violence, or experienced injustice, testified during a Not Invisible Act Commission field hearing in Minneapolis. As part of the federal government’s efforts to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis, Tribal members detailed their emotional losses and the apathy they experienced in trying to get cases investigated. They recommended more collaborative training between law enforcement and Tribes. Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, a Native American, said there is “an urgent and critical need” to keep communities safe and support those who have lost loved ones. The commission will use information gathered at its hearings to recommend best practices for solving MMIP cases.
In response to the ongoing crisis of people missing from Tribal communities, California has enacted a new Feather Alert. The statewide notification, similar to an AMBER Alert, can be issued for missing Indigenous people or Tribal members. “We’re hoping it’s beneficial, because we really need it,” said Keely Linton, who heads the Strong Hearted Native Women’s Coalition in Escondido. Linton noted that while much of the concern is for missing Indigenous women, some Tribes report more missing men.
The death of an Indigenous girl whose body was found on Tribal land near Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, has prompted calls to expand AMBER Alert criteria. The 8-year-old’s body was found five days after authorities conducted a welfare check and began investigating her suspicious disappearance. A Canadian Centre for Child Protection official said that while AMBER Alerts remain “very, very important,” a process needs to be in place for those who don’t meet AMBER Alert criteria.
According to a newly released “2022 Missing American Indian and Alaska Native Persons: Age 21 and Under” report from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), of the more than 10,000 cases of American Indian and Alaska Native youth reported missing in 2022, 65 percent were between the ages of 12 and 17; girls represented 4,000 of those cases compared to 2,500 males. Additional statistics from the report, based on data from the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC), showed that 190 of the case entries (about 4 percent) were for males under age 12, compared to 165 entries (3 percent) for missing girls under age 12. More detailed information can be found in the report.
Despite being separated during childhood, two Sioux City, Iowa, sisters and members of the Winnebago Tribe reunited as adults and set out to learn more about their Native American heritage. While digging into their family history, Trisha Rivers and Jessica Lopez-Walker learned of an aunt, Paulette “Paulie” Walker, who left Iowa for California in 1984, and shortly afterward was murdered. The sisters struggled to understand why no one reported the young woman missing, and now aim to have her remains returned to Iowa for burial near family. Their aunt, whose case remains unsolved, is one of the countless Indigenous women who suffer disproportionately higher rates of violence, sexual assault, and murder compared to the rest of the U.S. population. The sisters’ work with the nonprofit organization Great Plains Action Society involves helping find missing or murdered Indigenous people (MMIP) and providing support for other issues Iowa’s Indigenous population faces. Native Americans made up 1.5 percent of missing persons cases in Iowa, despite the state’s Native American population accounting for less than one half of 1 percent, according to an Iowa Public Radio report. “Native women and girls, our relatives, are not expendable,” Rivers said, adding that they’re seeking better treatment for Native communities.
Leah Gazan, a member of Canada’s Parliament, is leading discussions on a proposed “Red Dress Alert” system for missing Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit (gender-diverse) people, who face a murder rate six times that of other females. Similar to AMBER Alerts for children, Red Dress notifications would be sent to the public on their phones. Ottawa, which recognized the crisis as a national emergency, included funding for an alert system in the federal budget in March 2023. Calling it a matter of life or death, Gazan is urging the federal government to implement the Red Dress program before the next election.
Advances in rapid DNA sequencing are helping to solve missing persons cases long gone cold, such as that of 20-year-old Ashley Loring Heavyrunner, who disappeared from Montana’s Blackfeet Reservation in 2017. New testing kits can extract thousands of genetic markers from unidentified human remains, making it easier to link them to missing persons. Because few genetic data are available for Native Americans, Hopi Tribe member Haley Omeasoo, a classmate and distant relative of Heavyrunner, decided to pursue forensic anthropology to help locate missing Indigenous people. As a Ph.D. student at the University of Montana, Omeasoo and her graduate advisor, anthropologist Meradeth Snow, are working with the Blackfeet Tribe to create a DNA database of tribal members that can be compared with unidentified human remains. More than 4,000 sets of human remains are found in the U.S. each year; about a quarter remain unidentified, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Nearly 5,500 reports of missing Indigenous women and girls were filed in 2022 alone. Omeasoo is hopeful Ashley Heavyrunner will be found alive, but she knows that her DNA work could ultimately identify her friend’s remains. If that happens, she hopes it will at least give the family closure.
Colorado has become the second state to implement a Missing Indigenous Person Alert system. The new public alert, designed in response to the disproportionately high number of Indigenous people who are missing or have been murdered, comes on the heels of a similar one launched in Washington State. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation operates the system, which is the result of Indigenous advocates to pass legislation to raise awareness about missing members of Tribal communities. “It just feels like we’re always put on the back burner,” said Southern Ute member Daisy Bluestar, member of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Taskforce of Colorado, which advocated for the alert.
Calling Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) “an important lifeline to Americans,” two New York lawmakers are leading a charge to remove language barriers in the bulletins—a measure that could impact Tribal communities. (Larger Tribes such as the Navajo Nation already are working to share emergency alerts in their native language.) U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Representative Grace Meng and 43 lawmakers who signed a bicameral letter urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to expand requirements beyond English and Spanish to ensure more of the nation can respond to such WEAs as AMBER Alerts and severe weather notices. Lawmakers pointed to 2021’s Hurricane Ida, when many Asian immigrants did not receive language-accessible warnings that could have alerted them to, and protected them against, deadly flash flooding.
California’s largest Tribe and a longstanding leader in criminal justice issues is getting an assist in dealing with the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. The U.S. Marshals Service has tapped Northern California’s Yurok Tribe as the pilot partner for its Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Initiative. The Tribe’s priorities will drive specific areas of the collaboration, which could include training on missing child investigations and sex offender registration. “We are fully committed to supporting the Yurok Tribe’s efforts to keep their communities safe,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald L. Davis.
Canadian Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino said more dialogue is needed to find out if enough is being done when a First Nation member goes missing. Tribal leaders have been critical after AMBER Alerts were not issued in two cases involving indigenous children. “At a minimum, there should be dialogue about whether the criteria [for AMBER Alerts] are providing as much support as is needed in those very early and fragile moments, when every minute can make a difference,” he said.
Mendicino has been meeting with indigenous political and law enforcement leaders about efforts to protect First Nation members.
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) issued a missing person alert after an indigenous woman and her 7-year-old son went missing July 24, 2022, in Saskatchewan, Canada. Both were found in Oregon August 5. Dawn Walker is now facing charges of parental abduction and public mischief. Several First Nation women, however, say Walker was fleeing from domestic violence. “Until you walk the mile in the shoes of women who have to protect their children or themselves, you have no room to talk,” said Mary Culbertson, Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan. The FSIN declined to comment.
A California lawmaker is proposing a “Feather Alert” that would notify the public when indigenous people go missing under certain circumstances. Assembly member James C. Ramos said the alert would be activated through California’s AMBER Alert system and would be similar to the state’s Endangered Missing Advisory. “This bill brings further attention and effort to end violence on tribal lands and across the state,” Ramos said.
The bill is co-sponsored by the Yurok, California’s largest tribe, in Northern California. On July 1, 2022, a bill in Washington State created the first statewide emergency alert system for missing indigenous people. Similarly, Colorado passed a bill in June that created the Office of Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, tasked with creating an indigenous alert system. “It is a top priority for us to make change and not just talk about it; this creates action through legislation,” Yurok Tribal Chairman Joe James told The Press Democrat.
According to the Sovereign Bodies Institute and Yurok Tribal Court, Northern California has 107 missing and murdered indigenous women. In 2016, the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) tracked more than 5,700 missing indigenous women and girls – but according to the Urban Indian Health Institute, only 116 were reported in U.S. Department of Justice statistics.
Tribal leaders and other U.S and Canadian public officials recognized National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Awareness (MMIW) Day on May 5.
Hundreds of Yakama Nation members gathered in Toppenish, Washington, to share stories and pray. They marched with signs reading “No more lost sisters.”
The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe held a march in Kitsap, Washington, to bring awareness to the plight of missing and murdered indigenous women.
In Madison, Wisconsin, members of state tribes gathered for MMIW Day at the state capitol and read the names of all missing indigenous women who have been found dead in the state. “This epidemic of missing and murdered Native women and girls must stop,” said Shannon Holsey, president of the Stockbridge Munsee Community, one of the state’s 11 federally recognized tribal nations.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem issued a proclamation for MMIW Day. Noem highlighted the actions she has taken to address the ongoing crisis, including establishing investigation procedures for missing Native women, creating a missing person clearinghouse, and developing and fully funding the Office of Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.
In Saskatchewan, Canada, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) also declared May 5 as National Red Dress Day to encourage protections for tribal members from all forms of violence. “Our First Nations women and girls must be protected from the unacceptable levels of violence experienced in Canadian society and our communities,” said Chief Bobby Cameron.
A first-of-its-kind alert system for missing indigenous women and people was signed into law in Washington state in March 2022. The system helps distribute information about missing Native Americans much like an AMBER Alert. Washington has the second-highest number of missing indigenous people in the U.S.
By Denise Gee Peacock
Tyesha M. Wood
Tyesha M. Wood—a Program Manager for the AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP) who oversees the AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) Initiative—is one of five public servants selected by the End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI) organization as a 2024 “Champion of Change.”
EVAWI operates as a catalyst for justice and healing, “so that every survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence gets the right response, every time,” the non-profit group says. “Champions of Change work on a state or national level, to create system-level reforms in the way we respond to sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and other forms of gender-based violence.”
Wood was chosen as a “Champion of Change” because she is a “powerful advocate with an unwavering commitment to justice for children and victims of interpersonal violence in Indian Country,” the EVAWI notes.
Crediting Wood’s 17-year career in law enforcement—during which she was a detective specializing in domestic violence cases and crimes against children—EVAWI notes this about her:
Ms. Wood, a member of the Navajo Nation, is revered for her expertise in helping communities develop strategic, cross-jurisdictional responses to safely recover missing or abducted children. … A national speaker on issues of protecting Native youth from human trafficking and abuse, Wood works directly with communities, traveling to remote villages and Tribal lands around the country. Because culturally specific responses are crucial to protecting Indigenous children, she helps communities apply relevant solutions and implement comprehensive child recovery strategies. …
Wood’s leadership in promoting culturally and trauma-informed responses also extends to survivors of sexual assault. As a detective with Gila River Police Department, she helped launch the first “Start by Believing” campaign in Indian Country.
Wood’s personal dedication and professional effectiveness in strengthening responses to sex trafficking, aiding missing and exploited children, and driving implementation of culturally sensitive approaches make her an inspiration to all.
AATTAP’s AMBER Alert in Indian Country Initiative was established in 2007 by the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs with the goal of creating and expanding child recovery practices, capacity, and resources in Tribal communities. For more details about the AIIC’s training opportunities and outreach, visit https://bit.ly/AIICinfo or its website, amber-ic.org.
The EVAWI was founded in 2003 by Sergeant Joanne Archambault of the San Diego Police Department. During her decades of work with victims, Sergeant Archambault saw a critical need for training law enforcement in how to investigate sexual assault and domestic violence. Criminal justice practitioners simply did not have the training and support they needed to conduct thorough investigations guided by best practices. EVAWI was created to fill this void. For more details about the 2024 “Champions of Change,” visit https://evawintl.org/creating-change/.
About 150 Navajo Nation members took part in a two-mile walk in March 2022 to raise awareness of the growing problem of missing and murdered Diné (Navajo) people. The march in Kayenta, Arizona, was sponsored by the Navajo Nation Council. “We are marching to bring a voice to the families searching for missing relatives and to tell the stories of the victims that never returned home,” said Council Delegate Nathaniel Brown. “In the Navajo language, there is no word for human trafficking, the missing, and the inhumane violence experienced.” Brown said Navajo men must reclaim traditional teachings to protect women from violence.
Two Indigenous women from New Mexico spoke before a U.S. Congress subcommittee in March 2022 about the high number of murdered Native American women and relatives. Angel Charley, of the Laguna Pueblo, spoke about the failures of the federal government to stop “a crisis” of missing and murdered Indigenous individuals. Pamela Foster, a Navajo and mother of murder victim Ashlynne Mike, said tribes have been hampered during the pandemic from implementing AMBER Alert systems. “Thousands of stories have fallen through the cracks of the judicial system,” Foster said.
The White Earth Nation in Minnesota received a $1.2 million donation for its Boys & Girls Clubs. The gift from author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is part of a $281 million donation to 62 clubs across the nation. “Today young people face an unprecedented number of obstacles to their success and well-being,” said White Earth Nation Boys & Girls Club Interim Chief Executive Officer James Hvezda. “Studies show a lack of access to technology, positive mentors and guidance, food insecurity and other critical factors can cause long-term setbacks and trauma for millions of young people.”
The Cherokee Indian Police Department in Cary, North Carolina, received an AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) Technology Toolkit that includes a computer, camera and other digital technology resources to help law enforcement officers and investigators in missing and abducted child cases. The Toolkit initiative is funded through AIIC work that is part of the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act. AATTAP Administrator Janell Rasmussen said the award recognizes the evolving cooperation between state and tribal agencies. “It’s unusual to see such a phenomenal partnership between a state agency and a Tribe, and there is great work being done here,” Rasmussen said.
On March 31, 2022, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law the nation’s first Indigenous Alert for missing Native Americans. The alert will send messages to law enforcement, news agencies, social media, and electronic highway signs. The alert is designed to address a much needed and improved response to the high rate of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Women in some Tribal communities face a murder rate 10 times higher than the national average, according to the Department of Justice. Additional efforts are underway to help indigenous communities from the DOJ’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force, which is led by the Washington Attorney General’s Office.
A new report finds Wyoming’s Indigenous residents have a disproportionately higher homicide rate than the general population. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon created the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Task Force in 2012 and assigned the group to address the barriers for investigating and helping victims. The report finds Indigenous people make up less than 3% of Wyoming’s population, yet account for 21% of homicide victims. These rates are also higher than the national average. Tribal communities identified three key barriers to consistent reporting and response to cases.
• Lack of trust in law enforcement and/or the judicial process.
• Absence of a single point of contact among law enforcement, agencies and communities to help families navigate the system.
• Perceived lack of information concerning the timely progress of an investigation or judicial proceeding.
Some Oklahoma lawmakers are seeking enactment of the Kasey Alert Act to address the problem of missing and murdered Native Americans. The bill is named after 26-year-old Kasey Russell who went missing five years ago. The law would enable law enforcement to send out an emergency message to phones and road safety signs, similar to an AMBER Alert, for adults ages 18 to 59 who are believed to be in danger. Last year, Oklahoma passed Ida’s Law, which makes investigating missing and murdered Indigenous women easier for law enforcement.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem signed a bill establishing an office for missing and murdered Indigenous persons. The law establishes an investigator to analyze data involving Native American cases and create a program to prevent future abductions. The bill has strong support from Tribal leaders.
The Native Women’s Association of Canada wants law enforcement to update how it applies the AMBER Alert criteria for cases involving Indigenous girls. The demand comes after a 14-year-old Indigenous girl was found in a wooded area with the suspect a week after she was missing. Law enforcement listed the girl as a runaway, but the group said an AMBER Alert should have been issued because of her age and the larger issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
“They may have run away, but we have to look at it more in depth,” said Lorraine Whitman, president of the association. “We just can’t take it as a case that they wanted to leave. We have to look into it because there are more underlying areas that we have to investigate as well.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Nova Scotia is reviewing its protocols and policies.
A nine-member task force has started compiling a report on murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls in Utah. The task force hopes to understand the scope of the problem and stop further injustices from occurring. The members include representatives from Restoring Ancestral Winds, the Urban Indian Center, the Paiute Indian Tribe, and several state officials.
Utah Rep. Angela Romero sponsored a 2019 resolution making May 5th Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons/Women/Girls National Day of Awareness. The resolution passed, providing support for a task force. “We ran the resolution honoring the memory of murdered and missing Indigenous women and reminding people that this is an epidemic in our country,” said Romero, who identifies as Hispanic and Assiniboine (part of the Sioux Nation). “And when the resolution passed, we knew that we had enough support to put together a task force.” The report was supposed to be done by November, but it is being pushed back because of the pandemic.
The National Congress of American Indians, Tribal Law and Policy Institute and National Center for Victims of Crime has created a web-based resource mapping tool to help Indigenous victims of crime and abuse. The Tribal Resource Toolalso received input from Tribal stakeholders across the U.S. The searchable database includes a list of all available services and helps identify gaps so they can be addressed.
The Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives, also known as Operation Lady Justice, is beginning a series of consultations to get a better understanding of the scope and nature of issues regarding missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. The consultations with Tribal governments were originally set to begin in March 2020 but were moved online to August and September 2020 because of the pandemic.
Team members from the AMBER Alert Training and Technical and Assistance Program, AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AATTAP-AIIC) participated in United National Indian Tribal Youth conference that was held through several online sessions from June 25-July 29, 2020. The conference included presentations on missing and exploited children and other issues facing young Indigenous people.
The Portland Tribal Relations Program sponsored “Strengthening the Safety Net: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Awareness Week” from May 3-8, 2020. Tribal, state, and federal representatives participated in a panel that included discussions on the complexities surrounding missing and murdered indigenous women and the dynamics of enforcement for Tribal protection orders.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul launched a new task force to help fight the abduction, homicide, violence, and trafficking of Native women in the state. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Task Force will examine contributing factors to the crimes and focus on understanding the roles of federal, state, and tribal jurisdictions. The task force will also improve and implement data collection and reporting methods.
“The problem of violence against women and children and the disproportionate impact on Native women and communities is the responsibility of all of society to address,” said Kristin Welch, Menikanaehkem Women’s Leadership Cohort-MMIW Coordinator. “For meaningful long-term reform, we must look to solutions that are Indigenous-led while addressing both historical acts of violence against Indigenous women as well as those that still exist today within modern institutions.”
A case that ended with the safe recovery of four missing children from the Arapaho Tribe in Wyoming became the 1,000th AMBER Alert success story. AMBER Alerts were issued in Wyoming and Colorado for the missing children, ages 5, 6, 11, and 14. Authorities believed they were be in imminent danger after being taken by their non-custodial mother. A citizen saw the alert and helped police recover the children from a motel in Colorado. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has been documenting all successful AMBER Alert recoveries after the program began in 1996.
On March 11, 2020, the AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program and AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AATTAP-AIIC) team, in partnership with the Wyoming State AMBER Alert Program, conducted a one-day AMBER Alert in Indian Country Implementation Meeting with the Wind River Inter-Tribal Council in Fort Washakie, Wyoming.
The Wind River Inter-Tribal Council is comprised of members from the two Tribes on the Wind River Indian Reservation—the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho—which have about 12,500 total enrolled members.
Representatives from the Wind River Indian Community, Wind River Police Department, and surrounding state and county law enforcement agencies were also in attendance. The purpose of this meeting was to bring together representatives from the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho, and the Wyoming State AMBER Alert Program, to develop strategies for implementing AMBER Alert Plans for Tribes in the aftermath of a child abduction.
During this meeting, staff from the Wyoming State AMBER Alert Program provided a presentation on its missing persons programs and resources, specifically explaining the protocol of working collaboratively to request and issue an AMBER Alert. Presenters emphasized their continued commitment to cooperate and assist the Wind River Indian Reservation and the Wind River Chief of Police with continued AMBER Alert training.
The Wind River Tribal Community representatives and State Representatives also met to discuss state resources and valuable information to ensure a cooperative effort to enhance response in the event of an endangered missing or abducted child. The meeting concluded with a discussion of the role and duties of a possible AMBER Alert Coordinator within the Tribe to represent the Wind River Indian Community, and with concurrence to work with the Wyoming AMBER Alert Program on the development of an AMBER Alert activation plan for the Tribe.
Wyoming law enforcement agencies are now required to collect more information and better collaborate across jurisdictions on cases involving missing or murdered Native Americans. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon signed a bill on March 9, 2020, that will also help the state's two Tribes implement their own AMBER Alert systems.
The legislation requires Wyoming law enforcement to include biographical information on reports to give the state better data on the number of missing and murdered Indigenous people.
"For the Eastern Shoshone and the Northern Arapaho, we all have our stories," said Wyoming Legislative Representative Andi Clifford, an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe. "This is a step in the right direction."
On January 31, 2020, AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program and AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AATTAP-AIIC) team members Tyesha Wood and Tanea Parmenter attended the quarterly meeting of the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada (ITCN) in Sparks, Nevada. During this meeting, they provided a brief presentation on the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2018 and the ongoing efforts by AATTAP-AIIC to support its implementation.
The ITCN is comprised of members from the 27 Tribes in Nevada. The purpose of the Council is to promote opportunities for the Tribes and to assist with the Tribe’s partnerships with local and state organizations. AATTAP–AIIC staff will continue to collaborate with the ITCN council members and assist Tribes in developing programs that protect children and support the work being done with missing and exploited children programs in their communities.
The Missing & Murdered Diné Relatives Working Group hosted a forum November 21–22, 2019, in Gallup, New Mexico. The forum included discussions on the AMBER Alert, justice for Navajo families, and risk factors for the elderly and disabled.
Lawmakers in Wyoming are drafting legislation to address issues involving missing and murdered victims from Indian communities. On October 31, 2019, the Judiciary Committee voted for a bill that would: 1) gather and publish data on missing people with biographical data; 2) require law enforcement agency cooperation; 3) offer training on missing and murdered Indigenous people; and 4) assist the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes if they choose to implement and manage their own AMBER Alert system. Lawmakers are also considering a proposal allowing Tribal police to arrest or cite non-Native American offenders.
The Navajo Nation held a two-day symposium to address child sex trafficking in Tribal communities. The training, entitled “Responding to Child Sex Trafficking & Exploitation in Tribal Communities,” was held May 30-31, 2019, in Shiprock, New Mexico.
Provided by the AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP), the training emphasized group collaboration, planning and implementation of awareness projects to keep Tribal communities and children safe. Participants discussed specific threats and warning signs of sex trafficking involving indigenous children.
The symposium was a homecoming for Tyesha Bahe-Wood, a presenter and then-associate with the AMBER Alert in Indian Country initiative. She’s a Navajo member from Window Rock, Arizona, and attended Navajo Preparatory School in Farmington, New Mexico, 30 minutes east of Shiprock.
“It is uplifting to know that Tribal communities, and my community in particular, are taking initiative to become more aware of the threats of sex trafficking,” said Bahe-Wood. “We work together as a group because we are all part of a family protecting our children.”
Bahe-Wood and AATTAP Program Manager Byron Fassett were given protection beads made by an 8-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl. The beads are made from dried juniper and are also called “ghost beads.”
“As a non-tribal person, this not only allowed myself and Tyesha to provide our knowledge on the crime of sex trafficking, but also provided me with the opportunity to learn more about its impact on Tribal communities,” said Fassett.
The class also presented Bahe-Wood with a three-pound bag of Cortez Bluebird flour, something she said is an “essential item in a Navajo household.” Bahe-Wood was recently promoted to a project coordinator with AATTAP.
Pamela Foster, the mother of Ashlynne Mike, an 11-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered in the Navajo Nation, challenged Tribal, federal, state and local officials to do more to protect and find missing and abducted Native American Children. Foster was one of the featured speakers at the National AMBER Alert in Indian Country Symposium, held July 30-August 1, 2019, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The symposium brought together more than 200 Tribal leaders, public safety, and emergency management officers to focus on implementing the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2018, a law providing funding and resources to integrate state and regional AMBER Alert Plans with federally recognized Tribes.
Montana Governor Steve Bullock has signed legislation to create a Missing And Murdered Indigenous Person’s Task Force in that state. Under Senate Bill 312, the Looping in Native Communities (LINC) Act creates the task force which includes a representative from each Tribal government on Montana’s seven reservations; other members represent the state’s AG’s Office, the DOJ and the Highway Patrol.
The task force’s primary duties include identifying jurisdictional barriers between federal, state, local, and Tribal Law enforcement and community agencies; and work on interagency collaboration, communication, and cooperation to remove jurisdictional barriers and increase reporting and investigation of missing Indigenous persons.
Eleven members of the task force have been appointed by Montana Attorney General Tim Fox. “I’m confident the members of the Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force will make positive strides in determining the scope of this issue as well as bring forward good recommendations to increase cooperation among public safety agencies and Tribal governments,” Fox said of the task force.
Training on missing indigenous persons and the crime of sex trafficking, such as one held in June 2019 in Helena, are aligned with the task force’s work, a joint effort of the Montana AG’s Office and DOJ, and include presenters from state and federal agencies.
Mark Pollock, a member of the Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force and the Blackfeet Tribal Council, spoke with a reporter about the June training event in Helena. “To hear their stories, you can’t help but be affected by it,” he said. “My hope is that we don’t have to have those stories like that out there anymore.”
The U.S. Senate is considering legislation that would commission a study on missing and murdered indigenous people. The bill was initiated after a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing on the epidemic of missing persons in Indian Country, including Ashley Loring Heavyrunner, a woman from the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana.
“In dealing with this tragedy of missing and murdered women, we must do better,” said Montana Senator Steve Daines, the bill's cosponsor. “This legislation would hold federal agencies accountable and would help get the families and communities of these victims the answers they deserve.”
The 2019 National AMBER Alert in Indian Country Symposium will focus on the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act to support states and tribes in work to integrate AMBER Alert plans. The symposium, to be held July 30-August 1, 2019, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will include tribal public safety and emergency management leaders, state AMBER Alert coordinators and federal officials.
The AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP) is responsible for implementing the 2018 legislation. The act requires AATTAP to provide resources and policies to develop AMBER Alert plans in tribal communities. At this year's symposium, participants will: learn about the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2018; discuss methods for improving the process of integration between state or regional AMBER Alert communication plans with federally recognized tribes from across the nation; examine current resources, tools, and technologies to enhance the AMBER Alert network within Indian Country; and increase collaboration with OJJDP, NCMEC, AATTAP, state AMBER Alert coordinators and other federal and state officials.
President Donald J. Trump signed into law a bill on April 13, 2018, that expands the AMBER Alert system to Tribal communities. The passage of this legislation comes nearly two years after 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike was sexually assaulted and murdered on the Navajo Nation reservation in New Mexico. The Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act gives tribes direct access to federal grants to improve AMBER Alert systems and provide additional training and technical assistance.
“This new law makes critical resources available to protect American Indian children and, we hope, will spare others the loss and suffering endured by Ashlynne's family,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio.
Friends and family of Ashlynne Mike gathered in Waterflow, New Mexico, the day after the act was signed. Hundreds of people participated in a 5K run, bike race and a visit to Ashlynne's school for presentations on safety awareness. “It is wonderful to have this AMBER Alert available to all the Native nations across the United States,” said Gary Mike, Ashlynne's father. “But it is also bitter in knowing it had to come in our lives; to have something like this happen to our child to open the eyes of people.”
Near the steps of the Great Hall of Justice in Washington D.C., a work of art was displayed for all who took part in the 2018 National Missing Children's Day ceremony. The painting depicts a sorrowful Native American girl holding a single eagle feather. The painting by Santa Fe, New Mexico, artist Kathleen Piccione is titled “Never Forgotten” and is dedicated to the memory of Ashlynne Mike, a Navajo child abducted and murdered at the age of eleven in May of 2016.
Piccione said she was in the process of painting a Native American child when she learned of the abduction of Ashlynne. “I began sobbing as I saw her picture and heard the horrific story of her death. I couldn't shake the sick feeling that came over me. Her face would not leave my mind. I walked into my studio and looked at the painting I had been working on for the past month. Her face was sweet and young like Ashlynne, yet it was deeply sad.”
“I knew at that moment I had somehow painted this for Ashlynne, not knowing the tragedy that was about to unfold. I painted an eagle feather in the young girl's hand to represent Ashlynne and called the painting ‘Never Forgotten,’ dedicating it to her forever.”
Before the start of the Missing Children's Day ceremony, Piccione and Pamela Foster, mother of Ashlynne, met with John Clark, CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), presenting him with a framed print of “Never Forgotten.” The portrait will be displayed at NCMEC's headquarters in memory of Ashlynne and all missing and abducted Native American and Alaskan Native children. Clark recognized Piccione for her generous donation and for the spirit of her work to bring awareness to the tragedy of child abductions in Indian Country.
“It's a beautiful painting,” said Clark. “It's also important that we not forget the families of missing children. When a child goes missing, the heartbreak and pain has a ripple effect. It's not just the parents who suffer. It's the brothers, the sisters, the grandmothers, the grandfathers. The aunts, the uncles, the cousins. Extended family and friends. We know caring people want to help, but they often don't know what to do or what to say.”
Piccione is originally from Wisconsin and has a family with strong ties to law enforcement and public service. She has also worked with Tribal youth and community members for years, using art as a way to teach and heal. Santa Fe Print and Images donated its services for the print to be displayed at NCMEC.
Piccione plans to continue collaborating with NCMEC and the AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program to raise awareness regarding AMBER Alert in Indian Country and hopes her work will inspire others to do the same.
Pamela Foster, the mother of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike, who was abducted and murdered on the Navajo Nation reservation in May 2016, attended President Trump's first State of the Union address on January 30, 2017, in Washington, D.C. She was joined by Arizona lawmakers and law enforcement officials who successfully championed the AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act which, if signed into law, will expand AMBER Alerts to Native American communities and support them in developing comprehensive child recovery strategies.
“It is such an honor to attend this historical event,” said Foster. “I hope to use my time in Washington advocating for passage of this legislation in the House so that President Trump can sign it into law.”
Foster was invited by Arizona Representative Andy Biggs. “I believe we are extremely close to passing this lifesaving law,” Biggs said. “No child–regardless of race, ethnicity, sex or birthplace–should be outside the protection and jurisdiction of the AMBER Alert system.”
U.S. senators from New Mexico, North Dakota, Montana and Minnesota are sponsoring the ‘Savanna's Law’ bill requiring the federal government to take a more active role in addressing and combating the needlessly high rates of violence experienced by Native American women.
The bill is named after 22-year-old Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe of North Dakota. On August 19, 2017, she was reported missing by her family. Five days later Savanna's daughter was found in a neighbor's apartment. A week later, police found Savanna's body.
Savanna's family feels things may have ended differently if police would have taken the missing person report more seriously and initiated a more thorough search.
‘Savanna's Law’ includes the following actions: improving tribal access to certain federal criminal history record information databases; creating standardized protocols for responding to cases of missing and murdered Native Americans; and producing an annual report to Congress with data on missing and murdered Native women.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined homicide is the third leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native women between 10 and 24 years of age, and the fifth leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native women between 25 and 34 years of age.
The Government Accountability Office report in 2010 found U.S. Attorneys declined to prosecute nearly 52% of violent crimes that occur in Indian country.
The Navajo Nation can now issue its own AMBER Alerts when a child is abducted on Tribal lands. The AMBER Alert system is in effect for the 11 counties that cover the reservation in Arizona and Utah.
According to Harlan Cleveland, Emergency Coordinator and Acting Director for the Navajo Nation Department of Emergency Management, the system has been live since the beginning of 2018.
“In the event we do need to issue an AMBER Alert, we can issue it on the Navajo Nation,” said Cleveland.
The Navajo Nation has not yet issued an AMBER Alert but did issue an Endangered Missing Person Advisory on January 26, 2018. A man took his 15-month-old daughter despite not having legal custody. The suspect and the child were found the next morning and two people were arrested.
Tribal officials and AMBER Alert partners will gather for a child protection symposium on June 1-2, 2017, in Bismarck, North Dakota, to share ideas on helping children in Indian Country. The symposium will include presentations on child exploitation, human trafficking, and endangered and abducted children. Presentations will address the latest tools and technologies to support AMBER Alert programs and ways to promote long-term solutions for public safety in Tribal communities. Speakers will include Human Trafficking Victim Advocate Cindy McCain, North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp, and a child sex trafficking survivor.
More than 200 participants from at least 25 tribes gathered in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the 2016 National Symposium on Tribal Child Protection and AMBER in Indian Country Leadership Forum. The events were held July 18-21, 2016, and were hosted by the AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program.
The Leadership Forum addressed the limited resources and staffing Tribal agencies experience by bringing together Tribal law enforcement executives in a discussion of how leaders can address missing and exploited children issues within their communities.
With the rise of technology-facilitated crimes against children in Indian Country, the National Symposium on Tribal Child Protection focused on addressing child protection issues including child exploitation, human trafficking, and endangered and abducted children. The event promoted development of cohesive community programs that can create long term solutions to these issues.
Presentations and discussions emphasized improving crime prevention efforts and successful prosecution of those guilty of committing technology-facilitated crimes against children in Indian country. Issues of limited resources and staffing of Tribal agencies were also addressed.
Featured speakers included a Native American survivor of human sex trafficking, gangs and addiction; the detective who helped convict “The Big Rig Killer,” a truck driver implicated in the murders of 14 women, including a 19-year-old Native American woman; and sex trafficking victim advocate Cindy McCain, who offered participants important information on resources available for sex trafficking victims.
The Navajo Nation issued an AMBER Alert on August 11, 2016, for a 4-year-old girl who went missing with her mother in Pine Springs, Arizona. Tribal law enforcement authorities determined the child to be in danger because her mother is mentally disabled and has a speech delay. The alert was canceled after the child and her mother were found safe.
A massive search effort was launched after a 3-year-old boy went missing from a ranch near Candy Kitchen, New Mexico. Family members of Gabriel Marez searched for the missing toddler for two hours before calling in law enforcement for help at 3 p.m. on September 5, 2012.
State, county, city, and Tribal law enforcement officers joined park service, fire, and transportation officials in the search that included ATVs and night goggles. The Laguna Police Department also brought in three dogs from the Search and Rescue K-9 unit to help find the missing boy.
A neighbor found the child at 11:30 p.m. about a mile from the boy's home. He had a few scratches and lost his diaper but was in good condition.
“I cannot explain my feeling when I saw the volunteer walk right up to the command post out of the dark with the child in his arms healthy and safe,” said Laguna Police Detention Commander Billy Emanuel.
After he was found, Marez was taken to the Zuni Pueblo Hospital Clinic to make sure he was OK.
Southern Methodist University held a weeklong series of workshops in October on Native American issues that included a detailed look at the trafficking of women and children in Indian Country. The workshop in Dallas, Texas, examined research by Christine Stark and Eileen Hudon of the Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition on the history and societal factors contributing to the exploitation and trafficking of women and children in Indian Country.
Members of the AMBER in Indian Country team joined Stark and Hudon to discuss how victims from Native American communities are caught up in the world of prostitution and sexual exploitation. The series called “Native Peoples: Inherent Rights & Forgotten Voices” educates students and faculty members about Native Americans.
Researchers hope to learn from Native American teenagers about the dangers they face and seek solutions for their safety. The AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program and Southern Methodist University interviewed 13- to 18-year-old youth from Tribes in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico.
The researchers asked the students about their experiences, observations, fears, and even past victimization. They also discussed ways to strengthen child protection programs in Indian Country. An advisory group of Tribal elders will ensure the research is consistent with cultural considerations and traditions.
The project began March 10 at the Isleta Pueblo and reports will be gathered in Taos, New Mexico, and Window Rock, Arizona. The research findings will then be given to Tribal leaders, service providers, and policy makers to help them make long-term strategies. A final symposium will be held October 27 in Dallas.
In conjunction with National Missing Children's Day observances, Tribes throughout New Mexico gathered in Isleta, New Mexico, to take part in a one-day training on how to respond to child abductions. On May 24, federal, state, and local law enforcement officials and Tribal members from 19 pueblos in New Mexico, the Jicarilla Apache, and Navajo Nation learned the latest methods for recovering abducted children in Indian Country.
This program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, provided an overview of missing children in Indian Country and how technology is used to exploit and traffic Native American children. A special recognition ceremony was held to honor two New Mexico officials who have implemented comprehensive child protection programs in tribal communities.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced on March 25, 2011, that his agency will award $63 million in grants to increase broadband access in Tribal and rural areas. The grants include:
$13.8 million to the Navajo Tribe to bring high-speed broadband service to 15,000 square miles in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.
$2.4 million to build a broadband infrastructure to connect 42 emergency response agencies, healthcare facilities, libraries, and government offices for the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho.
The Office for Victims of Crime held an online forum on May 10, 2011, on the best practices for responding to missing children in Indian Country to commemorate National Missing Children's Day. The discussion included Nadja Jones, the Senior Community Development Specialist for the National Indian Child Welfare Association. She also oversees several grants for training tribal members.
Five tribes gathered at the Ak-Chin Indian Reservation in Arizona to celebrate National Missing Children's Day on May 25, 2011. More than 65 people, including federal, county, and municipal law enforcement officers, participated in the celebration and a two-day investigative training session. The Ak-Chin Tribe produced and showed a child abduction video, and the Tribe's youth council demonstrated dancing and constructed small adobe huts and native grass shelters for table centerpieces.
In only four years, the idea of bringing AMBER Alerts into Indian Country has become a reality in many tribal communities. In 2006, the Department of Justice announced the start of the AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) initiative and began working with 10 Tribal communities. Since the pilot program began, the initiative has expanded significantly.
More than 1,000 Tribal officials and community members have been trained on the AMBER Alert and comprehensive child recovery plans. AMBER Alert programs are in place or under development in 32 Tribal communities. Child Abduction Response Teams have been launched in 12 Tribal communities. An Indian Country Intelligence Network has been created. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children uses Native American trackers to search for missing children, and Tribes now use donated bloodhounds in searches.
AIIC partners at the 2010 National AMBER Alert Symposium agreed more work needs to be done. AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program Director Phil Keith outlined the next goals for the initiative: expand the AMBER Alert program into new communities; focus on stopping exploitation of Native American children through education, prevention, and investigation; assist training in child protection, family violence, and runaways; and provide more infrastructure.
“It is important to find partners in your communities to become stakeholders in the initiative,” said Jim Walters, AIIC Liaison.
The Department of Justice, through its AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program, will work with tribal leaders to reach those goals. Sharon Sexton, the Assistant U.S. Attorney for Arizona, also suggested tribes contact the U.S. Attorney's Office for resources and training. “Communities have to be proactive and aggressive. The opportunities will not always find the community, sometimes they have to be sought,” said Sexton.
The initiative's long-term goal is to bring AMBER Alert programs to all federally recognized Tribes. A Tribe needs to be willing to meet three criteria to be considered for the Initiative: bring the information to the community, adopt the program to protect children in the community, and share their knowledge with other Tribal communities.
Tribal representatives from across the United States joined federal, state, and local leaders in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, on March 9-11 for the first National Symposium on Child Protection in Indian Country. The symposium included breakout sessions that specifically targeted the unique challenges in Indian Country, including runaway and at-risk children, online exploitation of children, Indian Country Child Protection Teams, new Tribal community approaches to addressing child abuse, substance abuse, and related crimes against children.
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention sponsored and funded the symposium. Organizers invited Tribal leaders, law enforcement representatives, and child protection professionals to create a multiagency approach to protect Native American children from victimization and exploitation.
On January 25-26, 2010, a Tribal and Southern Border Initiative Workshop was held in San Diego to examine ways to keep Tribal and national borders from becoming barriers to recovering abducted children. Representatives from Tribal, Mexican, and California border communities attended the workshop. Participants discussed the importance of call taking, the initial response to a child abduction, and the creation of community-based Child Abduction Response Teams.
Near the steps of the Great Hall of Justice in Washington D.C., a work of art was displayed for all who took part in the 2018 National Missing Children's Day ceremony. The painting depicts a sorrowful Native American girl holding a single eagle feather. The painting by Santa Fe, New Mexico, artist Kathleen Piccione is titled “Never Forgotten” and is dedicated to the memory of Ashlynne Mike, a Navajo child abducted and murdered at the age of eleven in May of 2016.