Missing & Murdered Indigenous Persons

About Us

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) epidemic is an issue currently affecting Tribal communities and people, especially those living in cities. Native American women face extremely high rates of violence, an epidemic which is marked by the lack of data around the number of women who go missing or are murdered in and outside of reservations.

Over 5,700 American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls were reported missing as of 2016, according to the National Crime Information Center, but only 116 of those cases were lodged with the Department of Justice. Eighty-four percent of Native women experience violence in their lifetime, according to the National Institute of Justice. A 2008 study found that women in some Tribal communities are 10 times more likely to be murdered than the national average.

In 2019, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham established the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Advisory Council Act, with House Bill 278. The advisory council reported its finding and recommendations to Governor Lujan Grisham, the legislative council service library, and the appropriate legislative committees.

On May 5, 2021, Governor Lujan Grisham signed Executive Order 2021-013, which establishes the next phase of the advisory council. The advisory council is comprised of representatives from across Tribal Nations, including state legislators and community partners. The advisory council will collaborate with Tribal governments, Tribal law enforcement, and the United States Department of Justice to determine how to address the crisis by creating partnerships and improving processes for reporting and investigating cases while supporting families and communities with resources.

For questions about the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Persons Program 

Seth Damon, Deputy Cabinet Secretary
New Mexico Indian Affairs Department

Cell: (505) 795-3622
Email: seth.damon@iad.nm.gov