A New Mexico task force created to investigate missing and murdered Indigenous people released a final report this week to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. The report alleges systemic failures from law enforcement in solving cases related to missing and murdered Indigenous women in particular.
The report found more than half the missing persons in New Mexico’s McKinley and San Juan Counties are American Indian. Researchers also acknowledged a lack of available data, and called on law enforcement to track more accurate and specific research when reporting missing persons. Nearly 5,600 Indigenous women and girls were reported missing in 2019 alone, according to the FBI. New Mexico has the highest number in the nation, Arizona the third highest, according to the Indian Health Institute.
