Five missing search kits have been distributed by the Department of Public Safety’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office.
These kits are intended to ensure that searches for missing persons, especially on tribal reservations, would not be delayed by a lack of proper equipment or logistical planning resources.
“While we always hope these kits are never needed, the unfortunate reality is that they are — far too often,” stated MMIR Office Interim Director Ana Negrete, in a news release.
“Families have a deep desire to reclaim their power and take action at a time when so much is not in their control. We wanted to provide a tool that would empower everyone involved and allow us all to work together toward the common goal of reuniting a family.”
Indigenous persons are overrepresented in missing persons cases.
According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Indigenous women make up less than 1% of the state’s population but account for 10% of all reported missing females.
Last year, the MMIR Office assisted in closing 10 missing person cases where the victim was located safely.
Search kits are now located in Red Lake Nation, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Lower Sioux Indian Community. One additional kit is located at the MMIR Office in St. Paul and is available by request.
Each kit contains two-way radios and GPS devices, high-visibility safety vests, walking sticks, traditional medicines like tobacco, sage, cedar and sweetgrass; first aid kits, rain ponchos, whistles and manuals with search logistical guidance.
The idea for the kits began in February 2023 following an unsuccessful search for a 47-year-old Mille Lacs man.
Negrete, — then a community planner for the MMIR Office — recalled watching Virgil Wind, now the chief executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, and Police Chief James West walking through snow and cold temperatures alongside the victim’s family and other community members in a sign of unwavering commitment to their relatives.
“They were both not only present — they were active, walking alongside impacted families, and modeling exactly the kind of community support that’s needed in these moments,” Negrete said.
West said it was difficult for community members to keep their search lines accurate while walking through packed snow and brush. He shares that he had a similar experience during an unrelated search the previous summer. A lack of communication, obstructed visibility through wooded areas and the inability to mark off search lines also hampered that effort.
“After experiencing firsthand the challenges of organizing community searches for missing persons, it became clear that we needed better tools to keep search teams safe and coordinated,” West said.
West consulted with Negrete on the equipment that would make search efforts more efficient and ultimately more successful. The following spring, with the new kit in hand, they conducted another community search in Mille Lacs together. This time, they were able to locate the remains of the missing 47-year-old.
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