Native America Calling: Stories of MMIP grief, activism and determination

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Monday, May 5, 2025

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MMIP: Stories of grief, activism, and determination

After the initial grief of losing her daughter to a hit-and-run driver on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Carissa HeavyRunner faced months of inaction by local law enforcement to adequately investigate and charge the person responsible.

HeavyRunner’s frustration grew into a personal mission to see justice served for her daughter, Mika Josephine Westwolf. But her story is one of the chief complaints by Native Americans who have lost a loved one and wake up every day without any progress toward getting any answers.

Tune into Native America Calling to learn about some outstanding Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) cases and the effort to improve the statistics in spite of law enforcement foot-dragging.

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Guests on Native America Calling

Adrian Jackson (Yakama). eldest son of Mona Vallo, a citizen of the Yakama Nation who was residing at the Pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico when she was found dead on the Pueblo of Laguna

Carissa HeavyRunner (Blackfeet and Diné), founder of Mika Maters, MMIP advocate and mother of Mika Josephine Westwolf

Ahli-sha Stephens (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), co-host of “We Are Resilient: A MMIW True Crime Podcast”

Sheyahshe Littledave (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), co-host of “We Are Resilient: A MMIW True Crime Podcast”

Darlene Gomez, attorney and activist for MMIP in New Mexico