OKMULGEE, Okla. — For the Muscogee Nation, nothing is more important than finding its missing and murdered Indigenous people.
The tribe is putting forth a concerted effort to bring them home.
WATCH: Muscogee Nation making concerted effort to find missing people
“Missing and murdered Indigenous people isn’t something that happened overnight to our people, it’s something that’s happened over centuries and so for us, our efforts were we really wanted to make a big focus on this movement,” said MaCaylin Autaubo, Muscogee Nation Center for Victims' Services Outreach Coordinator.
The Muscogee Nation is committed to honoring the 29 precious souls featured on a new digital billboard near Glenpool, ensuring their stories are heard and remembered.
May was Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Month, and tragically, Oklahoma ranks as the second highest state in the nation for these heartbreaking cases.
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“It’s not something that we wish we were known for, but it’s something that we are working as a community to unite and stand against together,” said Autaubo.
“While we would rather it not be something that turns into a movement, we certainly appreciate the visibility and the exposure of this issue. We call it an epidemic because it’s something that we need to address and we need to get as many eyes on as possible and as many resources to it as we can,” said Jason Salsman, Press Secretary for The Muscogee Nation.
In their efforts, the nation is also working to hire a full-time investigator within the Lighthorse Police Force dedicated specifically to MMIP cases, reinforcing their commitment to justice.
“If you’re out there and you’re watching this be diligent, go on the Internet, search missing and murdered Indigenous people, look for the directories, look for folks like you Sharon and KJRH that are dedicating time and resources to these types of series and cold case files and things like that,” said Salsman.
The nation is equally focused on educating the community about the warning signs of domestic violence and assault, striving to prevent more families from enduring similar heartbreak.
“We work with victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence, and we also assist with stalking and teen dating violence, so one of our biggest efforts is providing that prevention to everybody in our community before those signs arise within their relationships, and then knowing what those signs look like,” said Autaubo.
Their mission is to keep these stories alive, ensuring that every name, every life lost, will not be forgotten, and that one day, justice and healing may be found.
If you have any information about any missing or murdered Indigenous people, you are asked to contact The Muscogee Nation.
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