TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Families of missing and murdered Indigenous people now have a new fighter in their corner.
The Cherokee Nation has hired a criminal investigator whose sole job is to work on missing and murdered persons cases. Following the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court McGirt decision, the Cherokee Nation has criminal jurisdiction over 7,000 square miles of the Cherokee Nation reservation, which means the number of missing and murdered Indigenous persons cases have increased.
"It is a positive that McGirt is the law of the land and it's a positive that the Cherokee Nation reservation is 7,000 square miles and it's also a very serious obligation that we are going to meet to make sure we cover all of that, including for those victims that frankly don't have a voice if we don't step in," says Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.
One of those investments is hiring a criminal investigator. Perry Proctor is a former OSBI cold-case detective and Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs investigator.
"My role here at the Cherokee Nation marshal service is to be where the rubber hits the road to help other agencies," says Proctor.
Proctor says they are seeing people disappear for a variety of reasons.
"Some people have had issues in the past with where they may want to drop out of sight from the public or other people. There are some people that may have experienced some mental issues and have taken refuge somewhere else, and then there is the issue of people who have been abducted," says Proctor.
He and his team are utilizing several different tools including Namus, which is a database that allows people to search for missing and unidentified bodies. Proctor also says OSBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Cherokee Nation marshal service play a key role.
He's had some success recently and he credits social media and relatives for it.
"The ones that we have found have been with the use of media sites and also information from family members and some of it is just luck," says Proctor.
Both Proctor and Hoskin Jr. say finding a resolution for the Nation's missing tribal citizens is paramount.
"Time is the enemy. We know that time passes, hope diminishes and the ability to find these folks starts to vanish," says Hoskin Jr.
If you or someone you know has any information on any missing or murdered Indigenous person, you are asked to call the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service: 918-207-3800.
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