HELENA — Montana officials are launching a new public awareness campaign aimed at addressing the state’s missing and murdered indigenous persons (MMIP) crisis.
For years, indigenous families across Montana have demanded more awareness, faster responses, and better coordination when a loved one goes missing.
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“Hopefully we can make a difference for the future because right now, people are scared,” said advocate Rhonda Grant-Connelly.
Native Americans make up just over 6% of Montana's population - but last year, they made up 31% of missing people.
Montana's state database currently shows 35 indigenous persons missing.
“I don't think most Montanans realize that tribal members go missing at the rate that they do,” said Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen.
State officials and advocates agree - one of the biggest challenges continues to be jurisdictional limitations.
State law enforcement often does not have authority to investigate crimes on reservations involving tribal members.
Knudsen says improving communication among law enforcement and getting more information to the public remains critical.
“If you're missing, we want to get you home,” Knudsen stated.
The state has taken steps, like recently expanding its missing persons database and relaunching its human trafficking hotline, but many families and advocates say those steps still have not translated into enough change on the ground.
“Nothing has improved,” Grant-Connelley stated. “To me it's getting worse, especially here on our reservation.”
Grant-Connelly, founder of Blackfeet MMIP outreach and aunt of Matthew Grant who was killed in 2016, says violence continues to haunt communities.
“We have over 60 unsolved murder cases on the reservation,” she continued, “and we still have 4 missing.”
She says a lack of federal law enforcement presence and challenges prosecuting non-tribal members who commit crimes on reservations continue to create major gaps.
“We recently had a young lady that was shot, and they could not prosecute him because they’re not held accountable,” she explained. “The dead cannot cry out for justice - it’s up to the living to do so for them.”
Advocates say while Montana has made progress in bringing more visibility to the MMIP crisis, lasting change will require continued funding, stronger partnerships with tribal communities, and long-term commitment from both law enforcement and the public.
