FBI assesses results of initial Wyoming MMIP data collection

CHEYENNE (WNE) — In recent months, the FBI has undertaken a comprehensive data collection project in Wyoming to compile an accurate list of cases involving Native Americans who are missing, or unsolved homicides with Native American victims.

Beginning in February, the FBI requested assistance from law enforcement officers and agencies across Wyoming, setting up a dedicated email account and phone tip line.

The FBI heard from eight law enforcement agencies, and received 35 tips through its email and phone hotline. From those contacts, four homicides and three missing persons cases were identified. All seven of those cases had previously been reported through appropriate law enforcement channels.

Indigenous people in Wyoming are more likely to go missing or be murdered than people of any other race or ethnicity in the state. The FBI acknowledges that in the past, tribal members have not always been comfortable working with law enforcement, including federal authorities. The FBI recognizes these historical barriers and the continued generational trauma that exists in tribal communities.

The FBI will continue to work with tribal communities, and with its federal, state and local law enforcement partners when it comes to MMIP cases, as well as other crimes on the Wind River Indian Reservation, according to a news release.

This story was published on June 13, 2024.