FBI, DOJ, and Navajo Nation team up to solve missing person cases
After the FBI published a public list of 183 Native Americans who went missing across New Mexico and the Navajo Nation, the ongoing crisis has gained national attention. The list includes 115 men, and 68 women, who have been missing for more than 500 days on average. Among many other public budgetary needs, including public safety, senior centers, and earthen dams and wind mill repairs, a new missing persons unit will be created after the new fiscal year begins on October 1st. Many Navajo Nation families have been raising their voices on the issue for many years as the list has grown.
The Missing and Murdered Diné Relatives organization sponsored a float at the recent 74th annual Navajo Nation Fair parade. Posters listed missing people and lost loved ones who’s murderers were never found.
On September 21st, the Department of Justice announced they are granting $246 Million in Grants for Tribal Nations “to improve public safety and serve crime victims” across the U.S.
These collective efforts will hopefully reduce this unsolved cases and missing persons list to zero.
“That’s the ultimate goal, is to bring the list down,” FBI Intelligence Analyst Don Metzmeier said. “Each of those individuals that are on there, there’s a story, and what we’re trying to also do by putting them on the list is saying to the victims’ families, ‘we hear you, we acknowledge that your family members missing, we validate that family member’s missing, and we’re trying to use our resources to help come up with a resolution to that.’”
More information:
Full missing persons list:
https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/mmip-data-091322.pdf/view
DOJ announcement:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-more-246-million-grants-tribal-nations
Missing & Murdered Diné Relatives website:
Additional sources:
https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/fbi-releases-data-on-missing-native-americans/
The FBI asks anyone with information on missing individuals, or those who wish to add someone’s name to the list, to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office.