Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons

Native American people are at a disproportionate risk of going missing, experiencing violence, and being murdered. If someone you love goes missing, there is help available. Each Tribe has its own protocols for responding to a case of a missing person. To find Tribe-specific resources for families when a loved one goes missing, use the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Toolkit provided by Uniting Three Fires Against Violence. The Toolkit also includes regional and national resources for survivors, families, communities, and advocates. 

Additional Resources:

• To learn more about the crisis or submit a tip, visit the BIA’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People dashboard. 

• The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) is a national database and resource center for missing, unidentified, and unclaimed person cases across the United States. 

• The National Indigenous Women's Resource Center advocates for an end to violence against Native women and children. It also provides a MMIW Toolkit for families and communities of MMIW. 

• The U.S. Department of Justice has information about reporting missing persons, resources for victims and families, and data on the MMIP crisis.

• Native Hope pushes for public awareness of the MMIP crisis. They provide a MMIW Social Media Toolkit which advocates can use to educate their own communities.

• The Urban Indian Health Institute has compiled a report detailing the crisis with a focus on urban areas. 

The Not Invisible Act and Savanna’s Act

Historically, the crisis of MMIP has been worsened by issues of intergovernmental jurisdiction and poor data collection. Tribal, local, state, and federal governments must work together effectively to respond to cases of MMIP. The federal government has recognized these challenges. Two bills have been passed recently with the hope of improving data collection and intergovernmental cooperation. The Not Invisible Act of 2019 established the Not Invisible Act Commission. This commission develops recommendations for improving cooperation across governments in response to cases of MMIP. Savanna’s Act of 2020 seeks to improve data collection and coordination between law enforcement agencies. 

To learn more about these bills, you may read the following factsheets from the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center.

• Not Invisible Act factsheet

• Savanna's Act factsheet

*The files linked above do not fully comply with all applicable guidelines for accessible digital documents. For alternative formats, contact us at 231-947-0122 or probono@mils3.org.*