Wyoming Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force to Meet
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming's new Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Wednesday.
Gov. Mark Gordon announced the task force in April to study ways to help reduce the high rates of murdered and missing American Indian women in Wyoming.
Several other states — including Montana, New Mexico and Arizona — have created similar groups tasked with recommending ways to bridge jurisdictional and communication issues that prevent agencies from promptly responding to reports of missing indigenous persons.
Gordon says Wyoming does not report on the number of Native Americans who are missing in the state. He is also concerned that Native American children reported missing on reservations aren't always reported missing via statewide alerts, such as AMBER Alerts.