Missing and Murdered Indigenous People

Across the country this week [May 5], communities gathered in honor of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. On the Y-K Delta, where several such cases remain unsolved, dozens took to the street to march in support.

Relatives and friends of murdered and missing Indigenous Alaskans took their grief to the streets of Midtown Anchorage on April 30. The event was the third annual Walk for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People hosted by the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Attendees of the Arctic Encounter Summit, held this week in Anchorage, took a break from heavy discussions about climate change, national security, shipping safety and other pressing concerns on Wednesday night to enjoy something more fun: high fashion.

Chief Sean Case addressed questions raised by the national series and said recent policy changes, outreach, and coordination are helping the department improve MMIP investigations.

The documentary series “Lost Women of Alaska” now airing on HBO examines the crisis through the investigation of an Anchorage serial killer and how local police handled the case.

Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica reporter Kyle Hopkins recently wrote about Whitman’s murder and Paul’s release. He said the incident speaks to wider issues within Alaska’s justice system.

Justine Paul was indicted on flawed evidence. A defense witness wrote that police should have treated no fewer than 12 people as suspects of “higher interest.” A decade after the killing, no one has been convicted in Whitman’s death.

The parents of the 20-year-old whose body was found in Bethel in November 2023 under suspicious circumstances are suing for alleged negligence, discrimination, and emotional distress.

The 2023 report by the Not Invisible Act Commission focused on the disproportionate rates of assault and murder in Indigenous communities.