Missing and Murdered Haunt Tribal Nations

Ashley Loring HeavyrunnerThe community of indigenous Americans is small. Dr. Cheryl Crazy Bull, president, and CEO of the American Indian College Fund said that each Native person is about one degree of separation from another.

That’s why, when one of them goes missing or is murdered, the impact ripples across communities, tribes, and nations.

And for Native Americans, those missing and murdered aren't just an unlucky few. There are thousands of indigenous people who have vanished without a trace, or have been found murdered, and their attacker has never been brought to justice. 

Real data on the full figure and impact of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIPs) is severely limited. But experts note that four in five Native American women have experienced violence, and more than half have experienced sexual violence, according to the Indian Law Resource Center. Men and non-binary individuals are also attacked at a higher rate than any other racial group in the U.S., and most of the violence perpetrated against Native people comes from non-indigenous persons, with four out of five assaults perpetrated by a white person. Additionally, about 75% of the deaths of indigenous youths aged 12 to 20 are caused by violence. One third of indigenous women will be raped in their lifetime, and three out of four will be physically assaulted. Non-binary or two-spirit people (those persons who ascribe to a third gender) have a 66% chance of being sexually assaulted in their lifetime.

Cheryl Crazy BullIn 2016, the Urban Indian Health Institute said there were nearly 6,000 indigenous women reported missing, but only 116 listed in the National Missing Persons database. Many times, the red tape and damaged relationship from centuries of harmful policies between Native Americans and the police are enough to keep many individuals from reporting a loved one gone missing. Jurisdictional overlap means that there are three separate law enforcements practicing on reservation land: state, federal, and tribal. Tribal authorities lack the ability to arrest non-residents.

Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) are often the central hub for their communities, working to preserve language, culture, and sovereignty for tribal nations. But their educational walls alone cannot stop violence from impacting their faculty, staff, or students.

In June 2017, 20-year-old Blackfeet Community College (BCC) student Ashley Loring Heavyrunner disappeared. Four years later, investigators are still no closer to solving her case.