Jeannie Hovland is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' deputy assistant secretary for Native American Affairs. She poses with a Missing and Murdered Native Women mask. File/Associated Press Mark Thiessen
Gabby Petito's disappearance, possibly in Wyoming has prompted a national outcry.
A report also found that 710 Indigenous people had been reported missing in the same state between 2011 and 2020.
Despite the severity of the problem, missing and murdered Indigenous people receive less media attention.
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Gabby Petito's disappearance triggered a media frenzy, including nonstop media coverage. She was reported missing from Wyoming, possibly while she and Brian Laundrie were visiting Grand Teton National Park.
However, hundreds of missing Indigenous people in the exact same state have been reported over the past decade without the same furore.
According to the January report by Wyoming's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person Task Force, at least 710 Indigenous persons, mostly girls, were reported missing from 2011 to 2020. The majority of the missing, or 85%, were children, with 57% being women.
According to the report, 50% of missing Indigenous people can be found within a week and 21% for longer periods. According to the report, only 11% of whites remain missing for this long.
Petito, a white 22-year-old woman from New York, was reported as missing on September 11. Her family last spoke to her on September 11, when Petito, a 22-year-old white woman from New York, told them that she and Laundrie were heading to Wyoming to see Grand Teton.
The search for her started last week and some efforts have been made to locate the national park located less than two hours north of Wind River Indian Reservation.
Montana family members gather at the Helena State Capitol, Mont. on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, to remember missing and murdered Indigenous women. Iris Samuels/Associated Press
Wind River, the only reservation in the state and home to thousands Arapaho and Shoshone Indians, is the subject of this report. However, it found that Indigenous people were reported missing in 22 of 23 state counties making it a problem state-wide.
The media coverage of Indigenous homicide victims was also examined in the report. Only 30% of them were reported on, as compared to 51% for white victims.
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WPR reported that news reports covering the murders committed against Indigenous people were too graphic compared to those of whites. Emily Grant, Wyoming Survey and Analysis Research scientist, was involved in the reporting.
In recent years, the missing and murdered Indigenous people movement has attracted more attention. Wyoming Gov. After being pressured by advocates, Mark Gordon created the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force.
He signed 2020 legislation to improve data collection on missing and murdered persons. The bill required law enforcement officials to train law enforcement on cases involving Indigenous people. It also mandated cooperation between law enforcement agencies.
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