Data can lose identity
Race may be misclassified, and many federal records do not include Tribal affiliation.
A permanent daily watch
Native Children
Watch
Our children are not statistics. Their names, families, Nations, cultures and futures matter.
Seen · Remembered · Protected
No child or relative should disappear into silence.
This original red, black and warm-cream field belongs with Native Children Watch. It is presented as a visual reminder that Native children, women, girls and relatives deserve visibility, urgency and a coordinated response.
Learn about Native Hope and its MMIW resourcesToday’s MMIP accountability focus
Audit progress: Five implemented. Three need follow-through.
A federal audit found that the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit did not process case referrals efficiently or consistently connect victims and families with required services. The status has moved since the audit period—but “resolved” is not the same as implemented, and an agency recommendation is not a family’s case outcome.
The Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General issued its final report September 1. It says that, as of November 2024, the Unit had 83 open cases and 394 pending referrals; that is a historical operational inventory, not a current count of missing Indigenous people, a count of children, a prevalence estimate or proof that every referral qualified for a federal investigation. The report records eight recommendations: five implemented, one resolved and two unresolved. The OIG says it will continue tracking recommendations that are not implemented.
Indian Affairs said September 22 that most recommendations had been implemented and that work remained on federal and Tribal staffing, organizational structure, employee accountability and coordination capacity. That is an agency response, not an independent verification that every pending referral has been assessed, every family has been contacted or every case has been resolved. MMIP means Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons; the broad term can include women, girls, men, boys, Two-Spirit people and other relatives, while each family, Nation and case remains distinct.
Not Our Native Daughters, a Native-led and survivor-led organization, describes a family-directed liaison program for Indigenous and First Nations families affected by missing, murdered or exploited relatives. Its official page says help is limited and reviewed case by case; it is not an emergency service, a law-enforcement agency or a voice for every Tribal Nation or family. This letter names no case and publishes no child, family, location, medical, Tribal-affiliation or investigative detail.
A closed recommendation is not the same as a closed case.
Today’s action
Make one private case-contact card today: write the investigating agency, official case or report number, last contact and next promised check-in, and keep child and family details off public posts. If a child is missing, report immediately to local law enforcement and NCMEC; use the BIA MMU official route only when its stated scope applies.
Sources for this letter
- Interior OIG · September 1 final MMU audit and eight recommendations
- Indian Affairs · September 22 response and remaining work
- BIA MMU · official service area, jurisdiction and tip route
- Not Our Native Daughters · Native-led family-directed liaison program
- Not Our Native Daughters · support limits and request route
Why this watch exists
A dedicated space, because incomplete visibility can delay action.
Responsibility can cross boundaries
Tribal, federal, state and local authority can differ by the person, place and alleged offense.
Families deserve a clear route
Official case channels and Native-led family support should be easier to find and understand.
Words readers may see
Related terms—not interchangeable labels.
- MMIW / MMIWG
- Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women; or Women and Girls.
- MMIWR
- Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives—a term that recognizes a wider circle of relatives.
- MMIP
- Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons, used for people of all genders and ages.
Red is used throughout this page in recognition of the red-centered awareness language and public materials used during MMIW/MMIWG/MMIWR observances. The design is original and does not reproduce an organization’s logo or ceremonial imagery.
Native-led work and official help
Know who is already carrying this work.
These links go to each organization’s own description of its role. Inclusion is informational, not a claim that any one group represents every Tribe or family.
Native-led · Survivor-led nonprofit
Not Our Native Daughters
NOND addresses missing, murdered and exploited Indigenous relatives through family-directed assistance, prevention, youth leadership, policy work and cultural reclamation.Read the complete profileNative-focused storytelling and education organization
Native Hope
Native Hope uses storytelling, education and community resources to challenge barriers, amplify Native voices and build public understanding of issues including MMIW.Read the complete profileNative-led national nonprofit
National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
NIWRC provides national leadership, culturally grounded resources, training, technical assistance and policy development addressing violence against Native women and children.Read the complete profileNative-centered confidential helpline
StrongHearts Native Helpline
StrongHearts provides anonymous and confidential domestic and sexual violence support for Native Americans and Alaska Natives by phone, text and online chat.Read the complete profileNational Native child-welfare nonprofit
National Indian Child Welfare Association
NICWA works to protect Native children and families and keep children connected to family, community and culture through advocacy, training, policy and community development.Read the complete profileNative child-advocacy training resource
Native Child Advocacy Resource Center
NCARC, a division of the National Native Children’s Trauma Center at the University of Montana, helps child-advocacy services better meet the cultural and jurisdictional needs of Tribal children and families.Read the complete profileNative-led regional coalition
Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women
CSVANW works to end violence against Native women and children through support, education, advocacy, training, technical assistance and policy change.Read the complete profileFederal law-enforcement resource · Not a nonprofit
BIA Missing and Murdered Unit
The Missing and Murdered Unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services analyzes and investigates qualifying missing, murdered and trafficking cases involving American Indians and Alaska Natives.Read the complete profileIf help is needed now
Use an official route. Do not investigate alone.
Immediate dangerCall 911After a missing-child reportNCMEC help Native-centered support1-844-7NATIVEMMIP informationBIA MMU
For a missing child, contact local law enforcement first, then NCMEC’s 24-hour call center at 1-800-THE-LOST. StrongHearts does not connect callers to 911. The BIA MMU tip route is for federal crimes and missing or murdered cases occurring in Indian Country. Never post an unverified accusation or a child’s private information.
Letter archive
Every verified letter stays available.
Latest verified edition
Read letter →An early release is not a blanket cancellation.
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Read letter →An operation total is not a child’s case status.
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Read letter →Youth voice still requires consent.
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Read letter →A quick technology change is not always the safest first step.
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Read letter →A family-support request is not a public tip.
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Read letter →A clinic schedule is a starting point—not a promise of eligibility or supply.
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Read letter →A ribbon-cutting is not an enrollment confirmation.
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Read letter →A route to help works best when a young person can name who will answer.
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Read letter →A safety plan becomes useful when a family can name one meeting point.
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Read letter →A multi-day advisory starts the check. Today’s local forecast sets today’s plan.
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Read letter →A Tribal alert is a cue to check the live local source.
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Read letter →A live burn ban is local. Check the issuing Nation before a spark.
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Read letter →A grant can support a safer stop. It does not certify one.
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Read letter →A public plan shows roles—not proof of readiness.
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Read letter →A proposed retention schedule is not a deletion order.
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Read letter →Review denied is not a new merits ruling.
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Read letter →A seat at the table should widen student voice.
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Read letter →Remembrance should not require a child to carry the lesson.
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Read letter →Awareness should widen choice—not demand a disclosure.
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Read letter →A roadmap is not yet a law.
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Read letter →A training can strengthen practice. It cannot replace the child’s Nation.
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Read letter →A background check is required. A safe placement takes more.
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Read letter ↑Audit progress: Five implemented. Three need follow-through.
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Read letter →Who decides what stays private?
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Read letter →The award is made. The work begins September 30.
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Read letter →The agreement is active. The amendments are not final.
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Read letter →The consultation ended. The written record is still open.
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Read letter →When child-welfare services change hands, families need a verified door—and children need privacy.
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Read letter →A remembrance lesson should begin with Native voices—and leave room to step back.
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Read letter →A missing-child poster needs a current source—and an exit.
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Read letter →A child’s safety plan should be shaped with them, not placed on them.
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Read letter →Tribal child-welfare priorities still have a place in the federal record.
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Read letter →A secure family record can make a child’s Tribal connections easier to find.
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Read letter →A car-seat check should fit the child, the vehicle—and the community.
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Read letter →When a child starts to tell, make room—do not take over.
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Read letter →Pressure for a password, location or image is not care.
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Read letter →A caring conversation needs a clear route to live help.
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Read letter →A response plan must work before a child goes missing.
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