Authorities in Manitoba announced a task force to investigate the cases of Native women who were murdered or have gone missing.

The cases date as far back as the 1960s and include eight homicide victims and 20 disappearances. Most are of Native woman although one case is of a missing non-Native man.

First Nations leaders and organizations have been pushing for an inquiry. "It is our hope that these investigations will produce leads that will provide these families with much needed relief and closure," Derek Nepinak, the grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said in a press release, CBC News reported.

Last month, a man who said he was taken from his Native mother was charged in connection with the murders of three Native women. Authorities are looking at possible connections to other cases.

Get the Story:
Manitoba task force examines 28 homicide and missing cases (CBC 7/13)

Related Stories:
Search underway in case of murdered Native women in Manitoba (06/28)
Man charged with murders of Native women may be serial killer (6/27)
Man charged with murders of 3 Native women from same reserve (6/25)
Native woman who went missing found dead in Manitoba (4/10)
APTN: Three women from same reserve go missing on street (2/17)