The ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) took center stage during the 2025 Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) Annual Convention, where a panel of advocates, leaders, and public safety officials shared their insights and personal experiences. The discussion highlighted the urgent need for awareness, policy change, and continued community support.
The panel featured Elizabeth Webb, mother of missing person Doren Sanford and MMIP advocate; Mackenzie Englishoe, Chair of the Emerging Leaders Youth Advisory Council; Tami Jerue, Executive Director of the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center; David Atteberry, TCC Public Safety Manager; Michael Gho, TCC Tribal Protection and Safety Director; and Shirley Lee, Deputy Director of the Fairbanks Native Association.
Webb opened the discussion with a powerful moment, inviting family members of missing loved ones to stand. “Look around this room. How many of us have somebody missing? Keep these people in prayer. We’re all waiting for some answers.” She shared the overwhelming and paralyzing emotions that come when a loved one goes missing, reflecting on her own experience after her son’s disappearance in 2020. “The silence—it’s terrible,” she said. “We have to remember their voices, the way they walked, the way they were, their favorite food. Keep in mind, they’re somewhere- it’s just, they’re not at home.”
Englishoe spoke about the impact of MMIP on Indigenous youth, acknowledging that this crisis is deeply personal. “We grow up with this knowledge that this could happen to anyone within our community. It could happen to us,” she stated. “Every missing person is a daughter, a mother, a cousin, an uncle, an auntie, or a friend. Every time someone goes missing, it’s a current part of our history.” She called for stronger safety education and proactive policy changes to better protect Native communities.
Jerue highlighted the work of the Not Invisible Act Commission, established in 2019 to address MMIP issues through a coalition of family members, survivors, advocates, Tribal courts, and law enforcement. She emphasized the disparities in national attention between Native and non-Native missing persons, stating, “We feel invisible. Our family members are constantly pleading for recognition, for information.”
Lee and Atteberry presented a one-page MMIP Response Checklist, aiming to improve the immediate response when a person goes missing. Lee dispelled the myth that families must wait 24 hours to report someone missing and shared that TCC is working to establish a call number to ensure immediate advocacy. Atteberry addressed challenges such as jurisdictional confusion, poor data collection, and distrust in law enforcement, all of which delay response efforts. “If something’s unusual—if the person is not where they should be—report them immediately so we can start,” he urged.
Lee underscored the need for a Justice Center and a dedicated private investigator to assist in MMIP cases. She called upon Tribes to pass resolutions supporting these efforts and emphasized that collective advocacy is crucial. “Every single one of you has a voice. Every single one of you can start something,” she said. “We can’t remain silent. We know from other cases that when you raise your voice in public constantly, it gets attention.”
She closed the panel by recalling the words of MMIP advocate Shirley Demientieff, who ended every conversation by saying, “I love you.” Lee echoed that sentiment, reminding the audience that MMIP advocacy is rooted in love: “Every step at a rally, every tear that is shed, every cry that is uttered is a prayer. Keep praying. I love you.”
The panel served as both a call to action and a message of solidarity, urging Tribal leaders, organizations, and individuals to continue searching for answers and pushing for meaningful change. The fight for justice and the memories of the missing must remain front and center until every family finds the answers they deserve.
