{"id":129822,"date":"2025-03-26T17:41:01","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T22:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=129822"},"modified":"2025-03-26T17:41:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T22:41:03","slug":"cronkite-news-bill-creates-alert-system-for-missing-and-murdered-relatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/03\/26\/cronkite-news-bill-creates-alert-system-for-missing-and-murdered-relatives\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: Bill creates alert system for missing and murdered relatives"},"content":{"rendered":" \"'No<\/a>
Arizona ranks third in the country for the highest number of Indigenous missing person cases, according to 2022 data from the National Institute of Justice\u2019s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Arizonans\u2019 fight for recognition of the missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis has been years in the making. Here, advocates march to raise awareness at the 2018 Women\u2019s March at the state Capitol. File photo by Melina Zuniga \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n
Arizona ranks 3rd for missing Indigenous people. New bill hopes to change that with emergency alert system<\/div>\r\n
Wednesday, March 26, 2025<\/div>\r\n
By Brandelyn Clark<\/div>\r\n
Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n
cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nPHOENIX — An Arizona bill to create a missing Indigenous or endangered person alert system passed the House with unanimous support and is now in the final stages of review by the Senate before heading to the governor.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nHB2281<\/a> explicitly focuses on missing Native persons or non-Native endangered individuals and aims to address the growing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples in Arizona\u2019s 22 federally recognized tribal nations. It would facilitate an emergency advisory similar to Amber alerts and Silver alerts.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nFor Anthony Sanchez Jr., head councilman of the Pueblo of Zuni Tribal Council, the notification system represents an important step in combating the high rates of missing and murdered tribal persons that have plagued North America for hundreds of years. Pueblo of Zuni tribal lands sit on the border of Arizona and New Mexico.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cNow we\u2019re finally being recognized as equals,\u201d Sanchez said. \u201cIt shows power of the community coming back together. \u2026 They\u2019re out there, not for themselves, but trying to get these individuals back home.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nNative communities have long faced obstacles to finding and protecting their populations. The lack of adequate resources, timely responses and jurisdictional challenges have left many families without support in finding their loved ones and feeling safe.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nArizona ranks third in the country for the highest number of Indigenous missing person cases, according to 2022 data from the National Institute of Justice\u2019s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe Arizona bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Brian Garcia, D-Tempe and a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, seeks to change that.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201c(The bill) gets us that much closer to making sure that all of Arizona\u2019s communities are protected and safe. What we\u2019re asking with this bill is when someone goes missing, is endangered, we\u2019re able to send out that alert and hopefully save their life,\u201d Garcia said.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nGarcia pointed to the case of Emily Pike, a San Carlos Apache teen who went missing<\/a> and whose mutilated remains were found near Globe last month. The state of Pike\u2019s remains have led police to suspect foul play.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAn Amber alert was not sent out for her because there was no indication she had been abducted or was in danger, the primary requirements for activating an Amber alert.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nPike\u2019s death has resurfaced conversations about the missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis across the country, and Native community members have been protesting and raising awareness for the cause in her name.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cThe response from community members and the awareness around it highlights it in a very real and upsetting way. Indigenous peoples are just tired of having our own gone missing, becoming endangered and being murdered,\u201d Garcia said.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nConditions would exist for notification qualification, similar to the Amber Alert and Silver Alert procedures. If triggered, authorities would be required to use all available local resources and determine that the person is in danger \u2013 either at risk to themselves or because they may be in the presence of a potentially dangerous person. Additionally, the individual must be over 18, and information that could assist in finding the person must be available. Tribal members under 18 are covered by the Amber Alert system.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe bill also represents non-Native people in potentially dangerous situations if the individual meets the qualification for the emergency alert.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) would oversee the notifications through the Emergency Alert System to ensure timely public distribution. DPS would also coordinate with similar systems in other states to expand the reach.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nArizona\u2019s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force played a part in the formation of the notice system. Gov. Katie Hobbs formed the task force in March 2023.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nSen. Theresa Hatathlie, D-Tuba City, who is Navajo and chair of the task force, has seen research of other states\u2019 advisory systems weaving into Arizona\u2019s approach.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cEvery law, especially in this sense, would have some conditions. We just need to see how it\u2019ll be implemented,\u201d Hatathlie said.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAs an Arizona tribal member, Hatathlie has watched her tribal nation evolve as their crisis grows.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cWhen we have a missing person, an Indigenous missing person, it\u2019s not elevated. Many times these entities brush it aside. They think it\u2019s because of alcoholism or it\u2019s because of some addiction,\u201d Hatathlie said. \u201cNo matter what the situation is, loved ones report people missing and that needs to be elevated, it needs to be investigated.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAccording to 2023 FBI data, 10,650 missing American Indian and Alaskan Native people were reported in the United States.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe Native alert system concept was first introduced in Washington in 2022, paving the way for other states, including California, Colorado and soon New Mexico, to implement similar measures.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nWith 29 federally recognized tribal nations, Washington is one of the leading contributors to missing Native person cases nationwide, per NamUs data.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nChris Loftis, director of communications for the Washington State Patrol, said the state\u2019s system has sent 148 notifications since its launch, and only 22 people remain missing.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nNotifications have led to locating people who had been kidnapped, run away or killed. Native people, who make up 6% of Washington\u2019s population, are three times more likely to go missing.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cEven if the alert doesn\u2019t directly lead to resolution, it helps us get the broader story out that Indigenous communities are uniquely vulnerable to crimes against a person. They\u2019re uniquely vulnerable to being victims of violent crimes and being victims of sexual crimes or sexual trafficking,\u201d Loftis said.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nHe said these notifications serve as a tool for recovery and a deterrent.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cWe have one case where the person who had taken someone heard the alert on the radio and had let their victim go because he knew that he was being looked for. It only has to happen once before it makes it all worthwhile,\u201d Loftis said.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe main differences between Arizona\u2019s proposed system and Washington\u2019s are the qualifying conditions and broadcasting method.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nIn Washington, any missing Indigenous person automatically triggers a notification, while Arizona\u2019s system would have specific criteria. Because Washington\u2019s system has no restrictions, it isn\u2019t sent as a loud emergency notification to cellphones, like Amber or Silver alerts. Arizona\u2019s would use the cellphone broadcasting system.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nWashington\u2019s advisories are shared through email subscriptions and social media, which lowers the visibility but doesn\u2019t potentially desensitize the public with mass alerts, said Carrie Gordon, program manager and missing person alert coordinator at the Washington State Patrol.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nEmergency broadcasts are only used if a recovery is imminent. Arizona\u2019s system also has an age requirement, making support more limited.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nGordon explained how these differences affect the notification\u2019s impact.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cAll we\u2019re doing is posting a poster to social media and sending it out to people who\u2019ve subscribed to receive it. That is a very limited audience compared to an Amber Alert. \u2026 But we\u2019re not able to use the other tools that we would like to be able to use, because there is no other criteria.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nCarolyn DeFord, anti-trafficking program manager of the domestic violence program for the Puyallup Tribe of Indians in Washington, knows how crucial the implementation of these systems can be for vulnerable communities.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nDeFord, whose mother went missing in 1999, understands the uncertainty that comes with a missing loved one. Her personal experiences, along with the tragic loss of her cousin to domestic violence, led to her advocacy.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nShe now serves as a co-chair on the Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force, where she works with families to address the unique challenges they face.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cI didn\u2019t even realize it was advocacy. It was just empathy,\u201d DeFord said. \u201cOnce that alert is issued, it\u2019s a reminder. It\u2019s reassurance that we\u2019re doing everything we can, that we\u2019re getting that message out to as many people as fast as possible.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nDeFord worries that frequent signals could lead to desensitization in Arizona. While she acknowledges that visibility is crucial in addressing the disparity, she fears the alerts might become another reason for the general public to tune out Indigenous issues.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cVisibility is important \u2026 but I don\u2019t want to desensitize people,\u201d DeFord said. \u201cOur obligation is to ensure, or do what we can to make sure, that our people are not experiencing hurt and harm.\u201d\r\n

<\/P>\r\nFor more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News<\/a>. It is published via a Creative Commons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/A> at Arizona State University<\/A>.<\/EM>
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