Oklahoma's missing and murdered Indigenous people crisis

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Oklahoma ranks among the top states for missing and murdered Indigenous people, prompting calls for federal changes and new state initiatives.

Oklahoma ranks among the top states for missing and murdered Indigenous people, with 86 cases currently reported in the state.

Both men and women are victims, and the causes for these deaths and disappearances vary in each case. But they all share the common issue of occurring within a complex jurisdictional landscape.

"It became so much more important when McGirt changed the geographic landscape of all of our jurisdictional responsibilities," Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin said.

Depending on where someone is reported missing or where the victim is found, the responsibility to investigate could fall on state, federal or tribal authorities. This often leads to cases falling through the cracks.

State investigators are now taking action, but some families have been waiting decades for their loved ones to be found.

KOCO 5 is speaking with special agents from the FBI, tribal leaders and advocates to understand what is being done to bring the missing members of Oklahoma's tribes home.

https://www.koco.com/article/koco-chron ... s/63070709