Resource Update: When a Loved One Goes Missing
A Quick Reference Guide for Families of Missing Indigenous Women: What to Do in the First 72 Hours
As of January, the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC) Policy Team is delighted to share the re-release of the quick reference guide, When a Loved One Goes Missing. This guide is now accessible and downloadable in PDF format via our website.
This guide is a part of our MMIW Toolkit for Understanding and Responding to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women for Families and Communities.
The full toolkit includes a downloadable PDF of When a Loved One Goes Missing, a customizable missing person flyer, an MMIW awareness poster for Tribal programs, and an online database of local emergency contacts, hotlines, and other resources, which can be accessed online at niwrc.org/mmiwtoolkit.
This guide is not meant to encourage families to take on law enforcement responsibilities, including collecting and preserving evidence. Families can keep records and documentation to share with law enforcement, such as a timeline, a record of a person’s first-hand experience, court documents, or prior police reports. Chain of custody issues may arise from interference with a potential crime scene
Due to the historic and often inadequate response from law enforcement, this guide was designed to assist families and advocacy organizations in responding when a Native woman goes missing. It provides information about immediate steps that can be taken in the first 72 hours after a person goes missing, especially where the law enforcement response is non-existent or non-responsive.
